This Little Mage Went to Auction... [open!]

[TheHighwayman]

Soevak made no protest as they were led through the streets. Good, they appeared to be calm enough to reason with. That would make things much easier on him. He focused his efforts on taking in as much as he could about the neighborhood and the house they were approaching as they walked. Neither the wealth- which didn't surprise him in the least, given the circumstances- nor the expression on the face of the older woman escaped his notice. Nor did he object to the girl being allowed a short time of reprieve- the more time she had to calm herself, the less likely it was she'd fight him about it.

When they reached the library, Vak shook his head at the offered drink and chose to remain standing; the former was a matter of principal in his profession, the latter a force of habit. "You need not fear my intents on the girl, miss. I don't require compensation, and- as I'm from Connlaoth- it would be rather inconvenient to obtain a slave this far from home. I seek only a favor- from either you or the girl, whichever of you can aid me- no questions, and silence about the matter afterwards."

Grabbing the side of his shirt, he continued. "Can you do that?"

[kleineklementine]

OOC: I figure since Rhi is gone and Pepper is up having a bath anyway, there's no harm in going a few threads further on our own. Sorry for how short this is, though!

BIC:  Elena watched the man carefully. It seemed suspicious to her that after throwing down so much money he wouldn't be interested in being compensated or in having the slave. As far as she was concerned, she had no reason not to fear his intents with the girl. And who would buy a mage if they were from Connlaoth? If anything, Elena was more concerned about this man than she had been before.

But you would have lost the girl without him, she reminded herself. She owed him for that and she knew it. She owed him exactly what he was looking for... a favor.

"Yes," she answered, her voice a little guarded, suspicious, "of course I can do that." She waited to hear what this favor worth - worth the life of a girl and more gold than she had cared to count - would be.

[TheHighwayman]

At that, Vak took hold of his shirt and pulled it up to expose the wound on his right side. The jagged gash about halfway up his torso would have looked unpleasant enough on its own, but the skin around it was blackened and sickly. "It's no poison, nor infection, and it's been months since I received it. The blade that did this has to have been magical somehow... which means I need magic to mend it." Dropping his shirt back down and folding his arms, Vak fixed Elena with a steely gaze. "If you or the girl can do anything about it, or point me to someone who could, I'll leave and you'll never have to see me again."

Grimacing in pain, the man finally sat down. "Now, why ask the both of you instead of a professional healer? Because I need leverage. In my profession it's best to avoid showing weakness, so I needed someone with plenty of reasons never to speak of this. The girl's freedom would have been sufficient for her, as I think the safe resolution of her situation is for you... And, to be perfectly honest- as you could likely figure out from the amount of coin I was willing to pay for her- I'm growing desperate. If I don't cure this, it'll likely be the death of me- either directly or indirectly." While it went against the whole 'avoid showing weakness' philosophy he went by, Vak figured the truth- or at least the half-truth- of the matter might appeal to the woman's instincts.

[kleineklementine]

Elena's suspicions didn't exactly melt away when she saw Soevak's wound, but they were, maybe, pushed aside. At least temporarily. Concern for the man quickly replaced them, and she frowned at the gash in his side. It was... bad. And very likely beyond her abilities. And the girl? (She really needed to learn the girl's name...) Elena didn't even know if she had any knowledge of healing at all. Who knows what kind of mage she might be studying to be.

"I was going to ask that," Elena admitted carefully, her eyes still on Soevak's side where the wound had just been exposed. "In your profession as... a business man?" She couldn't help it. While his profession might matter to her when inviting guests to a dinner party, it didn't particularly matter when he needed help. "Though you don't have to hold a girl's freedom hostage," she said and, realizing that she'd been staring at his side, looked again to his eyes. "I can help you and keep the affair to myself without the added 'incentive.'"

Though would she feel indebted to him (and therefore that much more determined to help him), if it hadn't been for his role in getting Pepper out of the slave market? Maybe. But maybe not.

Elena let out a little sigh, uncertainty growing in her, and got up to carry the babe over to a small bassinet in the corner of the library. Pulling her shirt back on properly, she stood over child for a few moments. Inwardly, she was wondering how she'd acquired so many new little chicks to take under wing today. Mallor was always telling her that she committed herself too deeply and too often to other people's pains. And that was on a normal day, not a day when she'd brought a penniless slave girl and a... well, whatever the man was, into their home. When Avi began to fall asleep, she turned back to Soevak, but instead of sitting down, she walked over to his chair and knelt beside him on the ball of her feet.

"I don't want to make you stand up again. That looked painful enough," she explained, concern clear on her face. She reached to lift his shirt herself, but stopped, glancing up at him. "Can I see it again?"

[TheHighwayman]

"It doesn't hurt to be sure," Vak replied to her comment about not needing leverage. "And the less you know about my profession, the better for both of us. But yes, technically you could say I'm a merchant of sorts."  It was a rather loose interpretation of the word merchant, but that was about all the assassin was willing to say about the matter. Inwardly he berated himself for saying as much as he had- he normally wasn't this clumsy with his tongue. Perhaps the injury was addling his mind as well as his body? Or perhaps it was just the desperation... He'd have to keep himself in check.

The man just waited patiently as she took care of the child, and when she asked to see the wound he gave a short nod. Adjusting his cuffs to make sure that the knives in his sleeves would stay secure- though that wouldn't exactly be apparent to Elena- he began unbuttoning his shirt. "Might be easier if I don't have to hold it up the whole time." Pulling the garment away and folding it up, the man set it aside. It might have been a trick of the light, but the wound almost appeared worse than it had before.

[kleineklementine]

Why not just keep up the rouse of being a businessman? Elena wondered, if he was going to be so cryptic about it. But she figured he was probably right, she probably didn't want to know more about it. The less she knew, the less she would feel obligated to tell the household, the happier everyone would be, she figured. "Alright, Mister Strel," she agreed calmly.

Elena waited patiently as he removed and folded his shirt. Inwardly she grimaced at the sight of it again, but managed to keep her outward expression to just another worried frown. Carefully, she touched her hand, just lightly, to the wound to test for heat or stiffness in the flesh.

At this moment, Misses Katz returned, coming through the door on the opposite side of Soevak as Elena. The older woman made no attempt to hide her surprise or disapproval of finding her mistress alone with her hand on the bare skin of a shirtless stranger.

"Ma'am," she started with a 'polite' cough. "I just received word that your husband," she put a pointed emphasis on these words, "has to be travel for the next few days to meet with a potential client. He asked that word be passed on to you."

"Oh..." Elena responded awkwardly, a visible blush coloring her cheeks. "Thank you, Misses Katz."

The woman gave a curt nod and turned sharply to leave the room. The blush stayed on Elena but, embarrassment at the perceived situation aside, this wasn't the best of news. She'd liked the idea of having this strange man around a lot more when she thought that Mallor would also be here. Especially because the whole situation would seem much more 'appropriate' to a household who already found her lacking.

"She doesn't really like me very much," she sighed. Elena had none of Soevak's reserve. Still, she'd said it without thinking and, remembering what the actual situation at hand was, seemed a bit flustered and embarrassed for a moment before collecting herself again. "Um, I... You're right, of course, I don't need to know much about you. But I would like to hear something about how you go it."

[TheHighwayman]

Vak almost chuckled at the intrusion- he knew full well what it must look like. He remained silent until the woman left, and then gave Elena an apologetic smile. "I noticed. Terribly sorry if I've caused any additional household trouble. As for the wound..." The assassin rubbed his forehead and shrugged. "I suppose it can't hurt. Funnily enough, I got it one of the few times I decided to do a civil service. There was a maniac running loose, and a very dangerous one at that. I tracked him down and tried to assist in stopping him- you see the result." Soevak almost grimaced at the memory; it definitely wasn't one of his prouder moments.

"Serves me right for doing something for free, I suppose. Though things could have ended up a lot worse for me..." At that the assassin closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, deciding it was best to let the woman work- though he kept an ear open for any more questions she might have had. A chance to clear his head would do him good, as well.

The flesh around his wound would have felt cold and stiff to the touch. The wound itself, however, was a good deal hotter than Vak's body temperature. At least there didn't appear to be any puss in the wound, and it seemed relatively clean. Vak kept a calm face as she touched it, though his body did stiffen slightly.

[kleineklementine]

"No, it's fine," Elena answered, her focus still on Soevak's wound. "If it weren't this it'd be something else." This was true enough. The list of reasons that Misses Katz (and much of the rest of the household, for that matter) seemed to always be changing and growing. Elena had stopped paying attention to it awhile ago. But still, she didn't like tension in the house, and tried to work her best to keep the peace. She'd just have to make up for this one later.

'One of the few times I decided to do a civil service.' That was an interesting line. Not that it surprised her at this point, but it was a clear hint that what he usually did was not a civil service. Though she'd agreed to learn as little about the man as possible, Elena was becoming rather curious.

"Actually," she frowned at the stiff cold skin, moving her hand to compare it to the heat of the wound, "I was wondering more what kind of weapon it was, what kind of man it was who did it, and how long it's been like this." She felt his body stiffen and pulled her hand away for now. "Sorry." She let out a small sigh, wondering what she was going to do for this man. "Also, what you've tried already to ease the wound?"

[Rhindeer]

Pepper took her sweet time in the bath. After days of traveling, and then that morning's ordeal, the hot water felt divine, and the time alone gave her a chance to try to decompress and pull herself together, which was easier said than done. She couldn't stop replaying the day's events in her head: the terror of capture, the humiliation of being forced to strip from her robes to rags in front of those men, and the raw hurt of knowing that this, all of this, was orchestrated by someone she'd actually believed and trusted and that she'd fallen for it all, and he'd sold her off like she was nothing.

And then there were the screams. The screams of those murdered slaves wouldn't leave her ears.

She was safe now, but she didn't feel it, and for a long while she just hid in the bath and let herself have a good cry. It felt stupid throwing a pity party for herself when people had died, and childish that all she wanted right then was to go home, but when she'd finally worn herself out and the water was lukewarm, she pulled herself together and scrubbed herself clean. Alright. That was enough. She couldn't stay up here forever.

With a sigh, she finally drew herself out, dried herself off, and slipped into the clean dress Misses Katz provided. It was simple, but far richer than anything she'd ever worn and it covered everything she wanted covered.

Pepper didn't really bother with her hair, except to run her fingers through it in some attempt at straightening it. Wet, the curls straightened out and fell to her shoulders, but once it was dry it would be a hot mess. Oh well. It would do. With a deep breath and a roll of her shoulders, she left the room to head downstairs to the library, directed there by Misses Katz (who obviously didn't care much for her or the situation).

She heard voices as she approached, the mother and the man in the middle of some discussion, and she awkwardly poked her head inside.

"Hello--oh."

She froze and her face heated. She had no idea what was going on, only that the woman was crouched down beside the man, and he was shirtless.

[TheHighwayman]

"The fight was three months ago now, and the wound has been like this ever since it stopped bleeding. It was a short sword, wielded by a man who was some sort of fallen holy warrior, cursed and twisted into a sick mockery. I don't claim to understand his motives, nor exactly what he was, but he was certainly dangerous. As for treatment- I've tried most mundane methods. Stitches won't hold properly, salves don't do any good, nor will heat or any sort of medicine I know of." The assassin glanced at Pepper as she poked her head in, and he simply gave her a polite nod before continuing.

"I can only really tell you one more thing about it. Ever since I received this injury, I've been plagued by foul dreams the likes of which I've never imagined before... which isn't exactly typical of me. When such a dream wakes me, it almost feels as if the wound is burning." Soevak shuddered. In all his years of grim work, he'd not seen anything nearly as bad as his nightmares now. It was a rare night that he slept soundly. He knew of ways he could keep himself under, but he couldn't do that for fear of leaving himself vulnerable... and a reluctance to trap himself within the realm of his dreams.

With a grunt, he tried to rid himself of such thoughts and looked back to Pepper- who seemed to have had the same first impression as the earlier woman. "And you, miss, can consider yourself freed as far as I'm concerned." The man figured he might as well try to allay any further concerns  the girl might have had about it now rather than later.

[kleineklementine]

"Three months..." Elena repeated, muttering to herself. She couldn't, or didn't try, to hide the worry on her face. This was a bad wound for so long a time and it was plain that his assumption was right: it was no ordinary wound. A cursed sword. A fallen holy warrior. Elena felt as though she might be getting seriously out of her depth. She specialized in ordinary, or at least non-magical, maladies... mostly those that affected the poor. Sickness and disease, the injuries - some minor, some gruesome - that were sometimes caused by machinery or farming, or acquired in a fight or a battle. But by mundane weapons and mundane men.

And, beyond that, she'd been practicing as barely more than a herbalist since she'd gotten pregnant. Her healing art drew directly from her own energy, and Mallor had insisted. But she owed this man now and, more than that, listening to his story, she wanted to help him. Whoever he was didn't matter that much, really.

She was snapped out of her reverie. She looked up at Pepper (this time without blushing) and smiled to see the girl looking so much better, or at least so much more decent. She waved for Pepper to come over to the opposite side of Soevak. Maybe the girl - she really needed to learn her name! - would know something Elena didn't. Or maybe someone at the Sanctuary...

"I don't think we ever learned what kind of mage you are," she said to Pepper, standing up, "but..." she gestured with her eyes to Soevak's wound and recounted for Pepper what the man had already told her about the wound and how and by whom it had been inflicted. She gave a little sigh before admitting, addressing mostly Soevak again, "I'm afraid this is a little out of my normal area of practice. I don't normally deal with curses or... But I will see what I can do," she frowned, thinking again of his tormented sleep.

"Maybe you know something more?" she asked Pepper. Then, as if seeing the girl again for the first time, she squeezed Pepper's shoulder and smiled at her. What a relief, at least, to have her safe for now. "You look much better," she added quietly, warmly, to Pepper.

[Listenbeastie]

The smoke had cleared, finally.

A small group of men stood on the stage, discussing something feverishly while guards worked to clear the lot of any who remained, seeing to the injured. Word in the area was that healers were to arrive soon; many were dubious, however, as it was just hearsay.

As non-magical medics tended to those hurt some of the slavers worked to organize the bodies; most were slaves but they needed to be certain that they were not taking any free men to the pyre. Dust ground against the fresh corpses as they were dragged away and the few slaves who were caught alive trembled in their confines.

"This is preposterous! Your organization is disgraceful!" The lord spouted.

He had been rambling angrily to one of the businessmen since things began to calm down. The victim of his raving simply stared with a furrowed brow. "There was nothing we could do, milord. We run these auctions daily and nothing like this has ever happened before."

"You are selling wretches, slaver. Not furniture! Your employees should have been ready for anything going wrong! Half of your stock was not even broken yet, and you expect that none of them would try to escape?"

"It was not the work of slaves that caused th--"

"--Similarly, they should be equipped for meddlers! I invested in your cause, that means I have a say in what goes on here! Were it not for me, this joke would not even be properly funded. You would be bankrupt."

"--Yes, I understand, milord, bu--" The lord stepped forward and grabbed the slaver's jacket, pulling him close while glaring bloody daggers at the fellow.

"I am going to give you one last chance. You are to listen closely. Do. You. Understand?"

"...Yes, milord."

"I want you to carve the heads off of each dead slave here. Once your auction is set up again, I expect to see those heads put to use. I want them stuck upon pikes about this stage as a warning to anyone who would think of running or meddling."

The slaver swallowed, clearly not liking this idea but nodding nonetheless.

"Good... Now, clean this up! I am returning home, you will salvage my investment or I will see to it that your head becomes a decoration as well. I will be leaving my... personal assistant, to oversee your operation."

"Of course, milord. Safe travels..." As the angry man left the others turned to look at his assistant. The individual in question, some form of beast-man, just smiled at them and hefted a large axe onto his back. To this, most dispersed to help with the operation while the lad just chewed out simply sighed.

[Rhindeer]

[Blaaargh sorry for the long delay. I think things are under control now. =__=]


The way they casually responded to her intrusion proved that she wasn't really intruding on anything at all, and certainly not something so awkward as it had initially looked. Pepper relaxed a little, though the blush remained on her cheeks--more a shamed blush than an embarrassed one now, for jumping to such...racy conclusions. At the woman's wave and reassuring smile, she edged into the room and stood, arms crossed, opposite the man, who she fixed with a scowl as he spoke. She still didn't trust him. There had to be some catch or...or something! Either way, she'd missed a lot here, considering she didn't have the slightest clue what they were talking about, about dreams and such.

Her scowl only wavered when the man addressed her directly, officially granting her freedom.

Her shoulders slackened and she blinked in surprise, disarmed. "Huh? Oh. Uh...er, thanks? Not that I should hafta thank ya for giving me something that was stolen from me..." she added in a mumble, disturbed that she even had to thank someone for something like that. How backwards was that, when she'd been kidnapped? Jeez.

But then she realized that sounded really sullen and ungrateful, all things considered, and she felt kind of bad about that as soon as she'd said it. Neither of them had to do any of this. And maybe that's what bugged her, because it left her feeling vulnerable and indebted and dependent and she was really just exhausted and done with this day, and done with men in general. Still, she listened as the mother recounted what they'd discussed in her absence, and she eyed the man's wound more closely this time.

So that's what this was all about, huh? Desperate times, desperate measures and all that.

She leaned into the woman's grip and smiled tiredly. "Heh, thanks. I sure feel it. Y'know, feel human and stuff again. Um...sorry for bein' all moody and shit--er, stuff. It's just...long day, ya know?" She wiped some damp hair from her eyes and looked back and forth between them, addressing them both. She still wasn't sure what she felt about the man, but she directed her apology at him, anyway.

Rubbing her arm, she glanced at the floor. "So, about yer issue, with the scar and all. Um...well, ya see, I don't think my power's much help to ya, anyway. I mean, I'm still learnin' and all, but I'm an earth mage. Deal with dirt and whatnot, minerals, rocks...I know a lot about rocks! I couldn't tell ya much about healin' a wound. But..."

She looked back up and shrugged. "I mean, and I ain't just sayin' this 'cause I wanna go home. I do, of course I do, but for honest, the mage academy might be yer best bet." And even as she said it, sourness rose in her throat and she swallowed hard, looking away.

Another cursed man, and her trying to be all helpful and suggest the mage academy like it could fix everything.

[kleineklementine]

((OOC: Okay, since Highway is MIA, skipping ahead a day and assuming that Soevak took off. Based on talking to Highway about it while he was still around that's probably what Soevak would have done anyway.))


Elena balanced a tray in arm and knocked gently on the bedroom door with the other. On the tray was a pot of tea, two cups, a hot bowl of porridge, and a small arrangement of fresh fruit. Misses Katz had made some fuss about Elena taking it up herself, especially with Avi wrapped up on her back, but Elena had been insistent. She wanted to take breakfast to the girl herself. She'd been through enough, and Elena still wanted to learn her story.

The previous day's events had been exhausting for Elena, too. As a young mother of a young infant, she was accustomed to not sleeping half as much as she'd like to, but she wasn't sure if she'd slept at all the previous night. Images of the slaughter in the market kept coming uninvited into her mind. Her failed attempt to heal Soevak had also taken its toll on her and, though she'd tried her best to insist that the man stay and rest at least one night, and better yet let her take him to the Sanctuary, he'd seemed set to leave the house - and maybe Ketra - as soon as possible. So there was no more Elena could do about that. Not for now. But the darkness she'd encountered in the wound had unsettled her, and even thinking on it now she felt a chill.

But there was no more she could do for him, and hopefully still much more she could do for the scared mage girl from the slave market.

Elena didn't wait for Pepper to answer, but quietly opened the door after knocking and slipped inside. She hadn't properly dressed for the day; Elena was barefoot and in her dressing gown with her long, wavy brown hair still down. It was how one might come to the room of one's actual sister. "Pepper?" she called quietly and closed the door behind her with her foot. "I brought some tea and hot breakfast, if you're up for it."

[Rhindeer]

Pepper didn't think she would sleep well after what she'd been through, but in the end, physical fatigue won out against emotional trauma. She passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow, and her sleep was deep and dreamless. Blessedly so. She had been worried she'd have nightmares, but that night they left her in peace.

And beside that, this has to be the most comfortable, luxurious bed she had ever slept in in her entire life! No, she had no trouble sleeping that night. Gods, she didn't even know sheets could smell like that! Or that there was such a thing as a not-lumpy mattress!

She had just started to rouse from sleep, awakened by morning light peeking through the windows right at eye level (of course!) but nowhere near ready to move from the warmth and comfort of her blanket nest, when a knock came at the door. Jolting fully awake, Pepper sat up in bed, rubbing at her eyes, as Elena came into the room.

"Oh. G'mornin'," Pepper greeted with a tired smile followed by a loud, long yawn. She stretched and arched her back, then let out a happy sigh. "Boy. Dunno how ya get anythin' done with a bed like this. I'd just lay 'round all lazy all day."

She ran her fingers through her hair, which was a fluffy bird's nest, and eyed the tray Elena brought with her. Something sure smelled good, and her stomach rumbled as she took in the sight of hot tea, fresh fruit, and fresh porridge. "Though I guess that's a good reason to get outta bed, huh?" she said, nodding to the tray. "That looks amazin'."

Throwing back the blankets, she scooted to the edge of the bed, then paused.

"Oh. Should I get up? Am I allowed to eat it here?"

At the academy, breakfast in bed was definitely off limits.

[kleineklementine]

"Well, you can lay around all day today if you like," Elena answered with a smile as she set down the tray of tea and porridge. Once that was down, she unwrapped the sleeping infant from her back and set him carefully down on the bed, which was large enough to sit all three of them with room to spare. "You don't mind, do you?" she asked, and her large, maroon eyes lingered on Pepper for a few moments longer as she did. Good, at least the girl appeared to be in much better shape than she had been yesterday. The poor thing. Elena couldn't quite say the same about herself, but that was secondary now. Her primary task was looking after Pepper. And, after that, finding out who the girl was, and why she had been drawn to her so. Elena's heart gave a momentary pang, thinking of all the girls in that market who she hadn't helped. All dead or sold into slavery now.

"And there's no need to get out of bed, unless you want to." Elena poured two cups of tea, then set one aside so the tray now only contained the porridge, fruit, and one cup of tea for Pepper. "Here you go. Scoot back onto the bed there," she said, urging Pepper to proper herself up instead against the headboard. She may as well enjoy being in bed. Then she set the tray down in Pepper's lap. Elena got the second cup of tea on it saucer and, maneuvering carefully, joined Pepper on the bed, tucking her knees to the side. All else aside, this was nice. This is what Elena imagined it'd have been like growing up with sisters her own age, instead of her sisters, who were much older and (from Elena's perspective) much more serious than her. If only Pepper really were her long-lost sister. Except come home, not gone away, like her long-lost brother. But Elena felt fairly certain that was not the case.

"I think it's probably best that you stay indoors today, anyway," Elena added to her prior comments, a touch more seriously now. "I think it's safer, I mean. I don't know what the fallout will be from what... what happened yesterday. So it's probably best that you stay here and rest. I think you've earned it, anyway." She smiled a bit at that, trying to make up for the serious tone of a moment before. "You can stay here as long as you like, of course. And when you're ready, we'll help get you back - safely - to your college in Serendipity. Mallor, my husband, makes business trips to Arca from time to time. And one of my sisters is married in Serendipity. So it shouldn't be hard to arrange. But not before you're ready, of course! And if you want to stay on longer here, obviously you're welcome to - as long as you like."

Elena smiled hopefully at the girl. Not necessarily hopeful that she'd stay (though she had to admit something about the idea seemed nice), but hopeful that she would feel better, feel safe and secure, that she felt she was somewhere she could trust.

Elena shifted her weight, concern clear on her face, however bright of an exterior she tried to keep, and set her tea to balance precariously on the bed in front of her. Then she picked up Avi and placed him in the crook of her legs. The infant stirred momentarily, then settled back asleep. Elena watched him, her features softened, for a moment before returning her attention to Pepper and picking her tea carefully back up. She had so much she wanted to ask the girl, so much she wanted to know. But the only decent thing would be to at least let her eat her breakfast first. So instead she said, with a defeated smile, "He sleeps like an angel now, but you forget about it in the middle of the night when you want to sleep."

[Rhindeer]

Breakfast in bed? Really? Doing as Elena instructed, Pepper scooted on the bed until her back was to the headboard. When the tray was set on her lap, it took all of her willpower not to dive right into her meal. It smelled so good, and this...this felt different. Like what she imagined a real home would feel like. Was this what having a family was?

She took a bite of porridge as Elena spoke, nodding in agreement. She had no desire to go back out there, at least not for a while. This was safety, security. And she didn't want to see what the streets would look like, or be reminded of what had happened, of how lucky she was.

Pepper jerked her thoughts away from that subject before they could grow too dark and shoveled another spoonful into her mouth.

"Oh, I'd love to stay," she said at last, putting her spoon down and looking at Elena. And it was the truth, she realized with a pang. "I mean, ya been awful nice to me, and...um...heh." Scratching the back of her neck, she glanced down at the bed, at the sleeping infant. "This is kinda dumb but, not gonna lie, ya had me there a moment. There was a moment I thought, maybe...maybe ya was my sister. 'Cause that'd be nice, havin' a sister, especially one sweet as you. Havin' a family and all. But uh..."

Pepper let out a sigh. "But I can't. 'Cause Cain...that's one of my mentors. Gosh, poor old guy, he's probably worried sick by now," Pepper said with a wince. "Or glad I'm outta his beard. But it's been...I don't even know how long now. Three days? More or less."

Shaking her head, she looked back up at Elena and put on a smile. "But this is real nice and, I mean...I really appreciate everything yer doin' fer me."

[kleineklementine]

Elena frowned, unconsciously scooting a bit closer to Pepper. She hadn't imagined, of course, that Pepper would stay forever. (Though, truth be told, she'd hardly had the chance to think about what would happen in the long-run before now). Elena couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at hearing Pepper ready to go so soon. And, of course, concern for the girl welled up inside of her. Elena felt protective of her now, and she'd only just gotten her to safety. Sending her back out there... well, look at how it had worked out for her so far! It sent a chill of disquiet into Elena's stomach.

"Of course," she agreed slowly, "you must get word to your mentor. But we can send word ahead of you. I mean, we could send a messenger today. Then he won't have to worry for longer than he needs to. And I'll worry if you leave too soon. I think those... men, I think they'll be on the lookout for anyone who... escaped." Elena made a face; she felt awkward talking, even obliquely, about what happened in the market square. "You didn't escape, technically, of course, I suppose, but I don't think we can be too cautious." Elena gave Pepper a little, pleading smile, her large eyes looking a bit pleadingly at the girl (if self-consciously so). "And when you go," she asked, "you won't go alone, will you? Please let one of us go with you. Or at least send someone."

Elena looked at Pepper for a moment longer, then, with something clearly on her mind. "And before you do go..." she started, but then stopped. Elena straightened herself up, pushing her long, wavy hair over her shoulder. "I'm sorry I made up that story about you being my sister," she said apologetically, restarting. But for all that, she was looking very earnestly, and very meaningfully at Pepper now. Part of Elena, too, wished the story had been true. "But, maybe this will sound crazy, and I did make that up, I was desperate, but something connects us, Pepper. I don't know what. But I... Sometimes, I can feel things, premonitions, you could say. But only with people I'm close to. Avi," she said, nodding to the baby, "my brother, my husband. There aren't many people I can connect to from a distance. Especially not strangers." She pushed her hair back again, giving a self-conscious little laugh and looking to the side. "I know it sounds strange. But yesterday, somehow I knew that I needed to go to the slave market - where I've never been before! And then, watching all those girls who all needed help, I knew I needed to help you." She looked back at Pepper now, clear eyed. "Nothing like that has ever happened before."

[Rhindeer]

Pepper had been about to answer Elena, about to say that yes! She would love to take someone with her! She really didn't want to go alone, for all the reasons Elena had mentioned; after her run-in with Soren, she was kind of terrified of that happening again, or of a slaver recognizing her, and it would be a long, lonely trip back to Arca, and she'd never traveled alone before. In fact, she'd really love it if Elena could come with her, even though she knew it might not be realistic, because she did have a baby and traveling with a baby couldn't be easy. It might not even be safe. But she held out the ridiculous hope that it might be possible, because she wanted to get to know Elena more, and really didn't want to leave this comfortable, family-like setting so soon.

She'd known her barely a day, but she still wished she didn't have to go.

But before she could say any of that, Elena changed subjects, and what she said surprised her.

Premonitions?

That was really uncanny.

"Really?" Pepper asked, sitting straighter and leaning forward with interest. "What about like, folks yer gonna be close to? It work that way, too, maybe? Or only with folks yer already close to? 'Cause that's real weird..." She scratched the side of her curly-haired head and then took another bite of the now-cooling porridge.

"Weren't no one around that'd be important to ya, I don't reckon. I didn't meet any other folks or nothin'. Just slaves, slavers, and Soren, and the last two were one in the same," Pepper said bitterly, stabbing at her porridge, before realizing Elena wouldn't know what she was talking about. She frowned. "Oh, that's the bastard sold me out. Tried to be nice and help 'im, and look what it got me." She stabbed her porridge again and laughed without humor. "Shoulda known it was all a joke. He was too pretty for me."

[kleineklementine]

"Just slaves, slavers, and Soren, and the last two were one in the same."

Elena felt her stomach drop like a sack of lead. Slavers. Soren. A slaver. Soren was...

She must not have heard her correctly. She must be mistaken somehow. But Elena knew she hadn't misheard. She knew somehow that Pepper hadn't confused the situation. Soren's role hadn't been misunderstood. Soren. Her Soren. Her brother.

Elena stared at Pepper, the color drained from her face, as these confused thoughts swam through her mind. But as the reality of it, the truth of it, settled into fitting pieces of a jigsaw in her mind, her expression changed to one of almost physical pain. She had suspected that Pepper might be connected to Soren how, but she never imagined... She knew that Soren no longer lived an unambiguously moral life, but a slaver. A slaver.

Elena took a deep, ragged breath, covering her face in her hands as she collected herself. She took another deep breath, then looked at Pepper, her expression now one of great sadness. Elena always had worn her heart on her sleeve.

"Pepper," she said, interrupting the girl's aggressive attack on her oatmeal. She wouldn't lie to her or... mislead her. Why? Clearly Soren wasn't the one she needed to protect now. But she was a little afraid that what she was about to say might drive Pepper out of the home. And her face showed the mixture of worry, sadness, and frustration as clear as if they were written on her. "I have a brother Soren."