"Have you ever worked with scalehoofs?" the stable master asked me, to which I had to shake my head. "Any other animals?"

"N-no, I have no experience."

"Beasts then?"

"No, neither with those." That was unless you counted the mossbear encounter.

"Not a problem; I'm just getting an idea of what to expect from you."

"O-oh, I s-see."

"Relax, I won't eat you. I'm just wondering where you learned to understand animals. It took me years just to understand scalehoofs alone."

'Shit! What was I supposed to tell him?' That I had been through experiments? That I'd rather stay deaf to them if it meant remaining human?

"I… I've always understood them."

"I'll be damned, natural beast talker. Had a hunch, but... well, damn. And you want to work here?"

'Huh?'

"W-what do you mean?"

The stable master gave Scoresby a look. "Surprised he didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"That there are places in Castiana that would pay you a lot better than me."

Not that I wanted to blame the old man, but I couldn't help looking at him anyway, seeking an answer.

"I don't think those are places you want to work at, Korra."

Presumptive? Perhaps. But there was no hint of ill intent in his eyes or words, if anything, the opposite. He meant well.

"I see - and what are these places?" As soon as the question left my lips, I paused, looking at the stable master Hale. "Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Don't sweat it. I'm the one who brought it up. In the Seeker Companies, you could easily get triple what I can give you."

"That by no stretch means that it is too little. Oswyn is a fair man. Not like the Seeker's Companies, at least most of them. Their contracts, Korra… they are not easy or cheap to get out of. I've seen many times, slaves like you end up being slaves again because of them."

'Shit. That bad, huh?'

To my surprise, Ria nodded fiercely at Scoresby's words. "Mom says she'd rather clean sewers than work for companies."

"Smart woman, your mother." The stable master nodded, approving.

"Is it really that bad to work for them?" I couldn't help but ask while wondering how there could have been sewers under the city when there was the Labyrinth less than three meters under the cobbles. "They can't all be bad, can they - the companies?"

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"New to the city, aren't you?"

"Didn't I tell you I brought her here yesterday, Oswyn?"

"Yeah, yeah, you did, old man. You also said that some things are better seen with your own eyes."

No doubt true. Actually, I might do better to check out the whole situation with the Seeker Companies myself than to believe what they say. But I might as well do that while working here.

"And well? What I see is a clueless gal," the stable master continued. "Easy pickings for companies and not just them. I'll give you some advice, Grey. Think twice before you say yes to anything."

"Even to work for you, Mister Hale?"

The stable master laughed. "Of course. Knowing myself, if I were you, I would think thrice about working under me."

"He doesn't like slackers," Scoresby explained.

"Why should I? I pay people to work, to clean stalls, not their noses."

In other words, he might be strict. Not necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of people like him - not all of them, of course - when you met their expectations, they accommodated you when you needed it.

"So, young lady, how do you and work get along?"

That was a good question. I'd like to say I haven't shied away from work, but for the past year and a half, I've basically done nothing but sit in the corner of my cage.

"I..."

"Well, we'll see," stable master Hale said when I hesitated, not really sure what to say. "I'll give you a week to show me what you've got. Ten hours of work a day, ten pieces of silver."

"F-for five days of work?"

"Traiana's tits! Who do you take me for? Of course, it's for a day's work."

"O-oh, sorry. I just don't know if that's, you know, good enough or not."

'Damn, that sounded so rude of me!' But true, nonetheless. It was the amount I got from City Hall, the amount I was told would barely last me one night.

"It's a fair reward, Korra," Scoresby hastened to clarify, only to add, "For someone you don't know will be suitable for the job."

"So...?"

"Yes." The stable master nodded, frowning at the old man. "If you prove yourself, we'll talk about a raise. First of all, though, as I said, it's necessary that the Scalehoofs accept you. I can't have someone here they're afraid of."

Understandable.

"Something you want to tell me?" the stable master immediately asked as he saw the downcast movement of my ears and wings.

"W-well," I said, pausing, wondering what to say. But there was no way around it, just telling the truth. He would find out that the scalehoofs were unhappy with me the moment I walked into the stables.

"They, I mean the scalehoofs, see me as a beast. Your dog, too."

"Do they? That's odd."

It wouldn't be if he knew what I was.

"Usually they only see Terr'dens that way, not halfs. The reason I don't employ them."

'Wait, what? I wasn't the only one?'

There were more like me - as bad as it made me feel, quite relieving to hear. Puzzling at the same time, though. Castiana was full of Terr'dens. Any street you walked down, you were likely to run into at least one. Yet none of the scalehoofs pulling wagons on the streets seemed as frightened of them as Lyl'ra was of me. In fact, come to think of it, I was the only one they looked at with fear. So no, as much as I'd like to believe it, the scalehoofs did not see me the same way they did the Terr'dens. Whatever that deranged asshole had made me into, it wasn't one of them - that much I was sure of.

"Anyway, show me that I can let you into the stables without it turning into a neighing racket, and I'm gonna give you a chance. What do you say, Grey?"

'Well, there was no harm in trying, was there?' Hope dies last, as they say. There was still a chance that I might be able to convince the scalehoofs.

"R-right now? Or...?"

"Why wait?"

"O-okay, what stables?" I realized what a stupid question that was as soon as it came out of my mouth. Of course I would prefer any stables to the ones where the scalehoof knew me already.

"Why not the Building Two? That's the one where Scoresby's mares are stabled. They already know you. It should be easy," the stable master said, a grin on his lips, and added, "Or maybe not. We'll see."