Kathrine and Yvette

Countess Kathrine Moor was not sure what her liege lord was planning. She had received the message informing her that an unknown number of CPS troops would be arriving and that she was to mingle with them without letting them know she was a noble. While it was not unusual for her to be asked to scout out new arrivals in such a manner, why would the Duke summon the CPS? He was supposed to be on vacation and had spent his whole time here chasing some Awakened thru the worst parts of this horrid city. The CPS had arrived in force, almost two hundred of them counting the Inquisitors, and had politely stayed outside until Duchess Helga had ordered that they be let into the ‘townhouse.’ All she had learned in the hours that she had been mingling was that while on a mission, the CPS did not drink and that they had no idea why they were there other than the Archbishop had ordered they accompany the Investigator until dismissed.

Kathrine was looking for a new group to mingle with when a page ran up to her and handed her a message from the Duke. Reading it, she was glad that he had finally explained some of what was going on. He was planning to adopt the Awakened, a girl named Alessandra, and the CPS was here to stave off the Capital Guild seizing her. The girl was a Death Mage and terrified of Life Mages. Still incognito, Kathrine was to investigate the attitude of the two ex-noble Caretakers from the Temple of Life and Family with her and remain as a personal guard/big sister to Alessandra. She was allowed to pull station if necessary, but she could not reveal that she was a Life Mage to Alessandra. Easy enough, she thought; if the Caretakers pulled an attitude with her, she would put them in their place. If not, she would get to relax; how hard could it be bodyguarding a child?

After asking a passing servant, she discovered that the girls were in the baths and headed that way. As she was getting close, a guard member came running around the corner yelling, “ LIFE MAGE! LIFE MAGE! WE NEED A LIFE MAGE AT THE BATHS!” Kathrine took off running the last few halls to the bath. Approaching the bath, the sergeant at the door, who, for some reason, didn’t have his surcoat, saluted.

“Report,” she said.

“Ma’am, the girl started screaming, Armsman Fells rushed in to investigate, and one of the Caretakers ordered him to get a surcoat….”

He was cut off by a child’s voice yelling, “ Pervert. Go away, or I’ll tell a Fluffy Priest you like little kids! ”

“Oookkkkaaayyy,” she said as Armsmen Fells ran out of the bath, “the rest can wait, Sergeant. I think I’ll figure out the rest inside.” Passing over the badge that marked her as a Life Mage, she stepped into the changing room.

She scanned the room as she closed the door behind her and noted that one caretaker was with a naked girl clutching the missing surcoat as if her life depended on it. The other was unconscious in the middle of the room. Casting a quick diagnostic spell from her healing talent, she determined the Caretaker was suffering from mana burn, having used too much power too quickly.

She turned towards the other Caretaker and reported, “She’s fine, she just used too much power too quickly, give her a few minutes, and she’ll be up and about.” How powerful is this girl that a Priestess of Life was overpowered? She also noted that the suppression bracer on the child’s arm was broken. Kathrine began to understand why Duke Halrond wanted to keep the girl out of the Guild's hand. She was a potent mage if she could overpower a bracer and a Priestess of Life. The Guild would never let her have her own life, trapping her in endless power games. With her and the other Caretaker, they should be able to suppress her unconscious use of her aura.

The Caretaker let out a sigh of relief, “That’s good. Can you help gather up Alessandra’s clothes?”

Feeling this was a reasonable request - they were scattered all over the place - she nodded her agreement and got to work. Keeping an ear on the Caretaker's interaction with the child, she noted the Caretaker’s patience with the girl as she answered the child’s questions. How does she not know what a Fluffy Priest is? Handing the gathered clothes to Yvette, having picked up her name, she returned to the other Caretaker, who was stirring. This child must have hung out in some bad parts of town. It sounds like she was raised by whore’s.

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“Looks like you have quite a chore in front of you, Miss,” she said with a chuckle; while helping the recovering Caretaker onto a chair.

“I know,” Yvette growled, scowling at the guard. “Alessandra, I don’t think whores are good role models for you. Please just apologize to the guard; I will ask Duchess Helga to explain why later.”

Shrugging and looking at the undershirt the Caretaker was holding, she said, “If you say so, what’s that? It looks like what the whores wear when going to work. Do you want me to be a whore? They said not to become one. Why is that?”

The Caretakers stared at the girl in shock, unable to form words. So much for an easy assignment, she thought.

****

Yvette felt some light slaps on her cheek, bringing her out of her stupor. Rubbing her cheek, she quickly gathered her thoughts. What type of life had Alessandra had that she thought PRIESTESS OF LIFE AND FAMILY would force a CHILD to become a whore? Not even the Essence of Lust or Hiram, the God of Prostitutes, condone child prostitution. Hunting down those types of people is just about the only time Fluffy and Hiram work together. If she was going to be assigned here long-term, she was definitely asking the Fluffy Priests for some of their manuals on easing street kids into society. She was not…

“HOW DARE YOU STRIKE ME! I WILL HAVE YOU FLOGGED!” She heard Suzzane yelling. She noticed that Alessandra had run over to hide behind her when the yelling started. As she was turning to try and calm Suzzane down, she realized it was too late when the guard spoke in a coldly calm voice to Suzzane.

“Pull yourself together, Priestess; I didn’t slap you that hard. You are a Caregiver. Care for your charge, not your pride. You have no standing in this house; you are here as little more than a hireling; you can’t cause me any trouble. If you must complain, my name is Kathrine Moor, Countess of the Moor in my own right, a Vassal of the Duke of Halrond. Try to make trouble, Priestess, I dare you; we both know who will still be here in the end,” turning to Yvette and Alessandra, she said, “Please fix her hair; it’s past time we got to the playroom.” She turned to the door, opened it, and spoke to a guard outside. “Sergeant, I think this Priestess is overwrought and needs to retire for the night. Please take her to her chambers.”

The guard gently guided Suzzane, who seemed shocked to be spoken to as if she was a servant, out the door. Yvette did not want to piss off the Countess and quickly grabbed some hair ties and put Alessandra's hair in pigtails.

She looked over at the Countess when she was done and said, “Ready, My Lady.”

The Countess’s face lost some of its coldness, and she said, “I am currently serving the Duke as a Colonel of the Guard; a simple ma’am or colonel is acceptable from you,” turning to Alessandra, the Countess got a genuine smile on her face and said, “You can call me ma’am or Miss Kat.”

Alessandra nodded, smiled at her, and said, “OK, Nice Miss Kat.”

“Nice Miss Kat. I like that,” the Countess turned to the guard and maid at the door, “Did you hear that she called me nice! You agree don’t you? I’m very nice, aren’t I,” she said, chuckling. The guard agreed with her a bit too quickly for Yvette to believe Countess Moor was nice. “Let’s get going. Dinner should be ready soon, and we need to get Alessandra fed and to bed; it’s getting late.”

Yevette mentally prepared herself for the next misadventure, wishing she was back at the nice, predictable temple.