Near the cross roads leading to Rodust and the more direct route to Mayonn, Sarraleah held up a hand against the harsh winds coming up the valley and from the lake far below. Mud and dirt whipped up and was getting her lovely new armor dirty and staining the nice pink cloth decorations. She almost cried because there was nothing she could do to stop the weather. She couldn't drink its blood or smack it with their father's lucky hammer. No she had to find somewhere to stay. She had been hesitant at first, but it was so hard to talk to people about where the nice man she heard about had went. They always told her stories and expected her to respond in certain ways and she didn't quite understand how to tell them she didn't care without making them mad or upset.
People were so touchy about manners. Therry had been like that, but he also listened to what she said to him. Jak-Jak was better than any of these village people for that matter and he always got mad when she didn't understand right away. At least he took the time to explain when she didn't get something he was talking about mad or not, and he never called her stupid or strange.
So she had let out a few of her scout wasps. People usually didn't notice that they were any different than other wasps, but they still swatted at them sometimes. She just needed to follow the scent of the Bear Dog. He had been wounded back there and Sarra hoped the man who would be her new friend was okay with his new monster pet safe too. Her scouts had told her the village was closer by returning much faster, but the scent of Bear Dog must have picked up on the road outside the village down the other road because they returned even later.
Begrudgingly Sarraleah set off toward the little village at a half run. To most people that seemed to be the fastest they could go, but Sarraleah's insides were a lot different than the village people. She was stronger and faster than most any adventurer's. They didn't have the hive inside like she did.
She thought she had well over a dozen species of the blood parasites inside now and she was making more all the time changing and adjusting them. There was a queen inside her head that let her control them.
Or she was the queen.
That always troubled her when Sarra didn't talk to her very much. Sarra remembered their father better, and how to fight people who were better with weapons than Sarraleah. Or was she Leah?
People called her Sarraleah. No no she was...wait...She couldn't remember exactly so she tried not to confuse herself any more. She made it to the Inn as the rain started beating down in waves down through the fields and on the road ahead and she got inside without getting too terribly muddy.
“Where are we?” She heard, whispered in her own helmet. Sarraleah stopped in the doorway as the people turned to look at her. She put their father's lucky hammer down gently so it wouldn't break the weak wooden floor boards that creaked under the weight of her armor. “Do you need help talking to these people?”
Sarraleah's mood brightened considerably hearing that voice again. “No.” She whispered back as she watched the people at the bar all turn to look at her with various expressions. “I don't think so. I need to get our new armor washed. The mud is getting in the color.”
“Ask the Innkeeper. The lady with the apron. She will help you.” the voice answered.
“Okay...” Sarraleah whispered back a little uneasily. “Sarra, can you stay awake for a little while though? I need help with something else.”
“Yes. -and I'll tell you how you're doing with these people. Put your visor up and greet them before they think you're strange.”
Sarraleah did so feeling awfully nervous about it with Sarra watching. She put her visor up with her muddy gauntlets which reminded her to take them off too.
“H-hello.” She said in a voice she tried to make sweet, but it came out nervous and shaky. That wasn't at all like she meant to. “Can I get a room here? I'd like to wash my armor and wait until the storm is gone. Could you help me?”
The round bellied woman behind the bar came around smiling and very pleasant.
“Oh sweet girl of course.” She said taking a towel to a bit of run off from her visor that was going down Sarraleah's face. With Sarra watching she didn't feel like biting this lady when she did that, and moreover it felt like this lady actually wanted Sarraleah to stay here even before she saw their coin pouch.
“I have money.” Sarraleah said once she had her gauntlets off and tucked behind her new belt. She got the nice little pouch the leather working man had made from the button up larger pouch at her belt. “H-how much for a room?” She asked, fishing out one of the gold coins inside.
The woman's eyes went wide at the gold and she did something that Sarraleah hadn't seen the people in Rosebridge do ever. She put the gold back inside the pouch. Sarraleah looked up at her worried she wasn't going to let her stay or she didn't have enough. Her eyes got a little watery because she really didn't want to ruin her nice and pretty armor outside.
“That gold coin would be far too much, dear.” The lady said. “I'm Mrs. Arlee and my husband runs the kitchen of our Inn. We do our visitors fair here. Now let's get you inside near the fire and get you some towels before I run you a bath.” She led Sarraleah over to the big fireplace and gently wiped her face a little more. Sarraleah didn't know why she liked this lady so much more than the other Innkeeper already.
She came back with towels like she said and went to a room down one of the halls. Nobody was around the small fire in the big fireplace so she whispered to Sarra.
“Sarra?” She asked.
“Yes Leah?” Sarra whispered back.
“I did okay?”
“Yes Leah. You need to be careful with your money however. She's going to tell you that. Don't be impatient with her and listen.” Sarra's voice was always cold and right to the point. It made her a little sad when she was scolded like this, but Sarra always took care of her.
“Okay..” Sarraleah said brushing at her pink armor with the towels. It made her sad that the stains weren't coming out. She liked the pretty pink cloth over the dull steel color armor. It made her look so cute.
“Pink?” Sarra's cold voice asked, sounding just a little like it used to.
Sarraleah didn't answer as the lady, Mrs. Arlee, came back. She saw the look on Sarraleah's face and the way she had pawed at the mud on her armor. The round lady let out a big sigh and smiled at her.
“Oh you sweet thing what's your name?” Mrs. Arlee asked. She knelt down in front of Sarraleah and felt at the cloth and stains on her armor and rubbed what came off between her fingers and even smelled it.
“Sarraleah.” She answered. “Is it ruined?”
“What?” Mrs. Arlee asked in surprise. “Oh what?-- these stains? Oh no they'll come right out. I will have to wash it carefully by hand, but I have just the thing don't you worry.” She laughed and stood. She was just a little taller than Sarraleah. “You come with me now and we'll get you out of that heavy armor and into the bath once it's ready. You will have a nice room and bed tonight and you'll rest easy through this storm. You can even eat with me and my husband in the kitchen if you like. No need to be around all these talkative people.”
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Sarraleah for once didn't have to make herself smile. It just sort of slowly happened as she listened to what the nice lady said, but she had a problem soon after. Her eyes started leaking a little. She wiped at them, but it wouldn't stop.
“Sarraleah.” The lady Mrs. Arlee said. “A sweet name for a sweet girl. Don't worry your precious heart now. Come with me and we'll get you all sorted.”
Sarraleah went with the innkeeper up to a nice big room. The lady was amazed that she didn't have some sort of pack, a cloak, or other sort of supplies with her. A big man that smelled like food brought their father's lucky hammer up into the room and made a joke about how strong adventurer's were laughing deeply before he went. He also brought a big fuzzy robe that Sarraleah was supposed to wear down to the bath and back to her room. Mrs. Arlee got her out of her armor with some difficulty, and then got her in the robe and down the back stairs to that room she had gone into in the hall.
Mrs. Arlee even stayed with Sarraleah and helped her wash her hair and body. It was all very nice and made Sarraleah feel a little odd inside, but she supposed it was okay. After that Sarraleah was taken upstairs and dressed in her padding and harness and mail hauberk and came back down barefooted to sit at the table in the kitchen with the Innkeeper and her husband once all the people in the common room were fed.
“How old are you girl?” The nice man who gave her food asked. Mr. Arlee didn't have a lot of hair on his head. It all seemed to have moved to his mustaches. Sarraleah remembered what Therry told her at the last moment. She was born in 1101, but it was 1186 now. People would think she was supposed to be an old lady if she told the truth.
“Sixteen.” Sarraleah said. That was the way she looked. The way she had looked since the fight with the man who controlled the hives like the ones inside of her before she and her friends killed him. Maybe those friends were why Sarraleah wanted to have new friends now. Sitting and eating together like this was fun. Almost as fun as fighting. Memories played in her mind. Of a group she had been with after Jak-jak and Therry had gone to do...whatever it was. There was pain in those memories. She didn't want to think of them. She pushed them back into the dark hole of memory they had come out of before she got upset.
“Oh you are just a sweet thing aren't you?” Mrs. Arlee said as she came round the table. She even stopped to kiss Sarraleah on the side of the head. That made her smile on her own again. “Eat as much as you like. A strong girl like you must have an appetite.”
Sarraleah ate the soup and potatoes and the spiced meat. She didn't even ask for more when Mrs. Arlee took her plate and handed her another. She curled her toes up under the stool feeling a little guilty, but started eating from the other plate she was handed.
“Won't all this be too much?” Sarraleah asked.
Mrs. Arlee laughed. “That gold coin you had would be enough for you to stay here the whole year, Sarraleah. Didn't your parents teach you about money?”
Sarraleah remembered hazy things about being on the docks with their father. She remembered being taught to sell fish to the dockman, and she remembered when their father was proud of the price she got for their catch, but the coins were just a blur in her memory.
They didn't wait for her to answer for very long. The balding Mr. Arlee explained.
“A nice room at a good Inn like ours shouldn't cost you any more than three silver marks. Ten silver marks make up a silver crown. Ten silver crowns in a gold mark. Ten gold marks is a gold crown.” He said drawing out the numbers on the table with his finger after dipping it in his mug of wine. “You offered my wife a gold crown. It takes one thousand silver marks to match that gold coin in your pouch. Take that by three and you've got almost every day of the year covered, and you're so sweet and innocent I'd let you stay the rest just to see you smile like you are right now.”
Her insides squirmed at what he said. She liked the mustached man. She liked his food a whole lot too. And he let her eat at his table, and talked to her nicely like Therry did.
“Where'd you come from Sarra? Rosebridge?” Mrs. Arlee asked.
“I would prefer it if you called me Leah.” Sarra suddenly said to Mrs. Arlee.
Mrs. Arlee was startled a little since Sarra's voice wasn't quite as soft and sweet as...Leah's, but she smiled and apologized.
“Sorry Leah I should have asked before I decided to shorten your name.” She said recovering quickly.
“It's okay.” Leah said. She felt a little sad inside though. She liked being part of a whole with Sarra. Sarra knew so many things. “The people in Rosebridge made my armor and took care of my old broken set.” She told them trying to keep the easy mood she had managed before Sarra's cold voice made them look at her strangely.
Mr. Arlee was frowning. “They made you all that you came in with?”
Leah nodded to him while taking another bite of the man's tasty cooking.
“They must have charged her twice or three times what all that cost don't you think Matilda?” He said, turning to look at his wife as she went to stir the pot of soup.
“Mmmhmm.” Mrs. Arlee said, looking over the soup kettle. “Not a one of them would say a thing about it either. Just rob the poor girl blind. No matter if they do good work or not. Always have to talk them down.” She came to sit at the table with a fresh bowl of soup she handed to Leah.
Leah took it and had to fight back the smile before it made her cry again. It didn't go very well and she had to eat her soup as her tears fell into it. She was still smiling since the food was making her happy, but she felt foolish and knew what Sarra would say if she had been if she talked right now. All those contracts and missions and the people had taken more money than she should have given them. She had only a small part of what she had made now.
She had to sniff to keep the tears from leaking out her nose, and wiped at them when she couldn't keep them back. Mrs. Arlee sat beside her and had her set down her food. She wiped Leah's eyes and made her sit up straight.
“Now now.” Mrs. Arlee said softly. “My husband and I have raised a few young of our own and know sometimes it's hard to teach them everything they need to know.”
Mr. Arlee grunted and laughed around his mouthful of food.
“We'll teach you to count and weigh coins. You certainly know more about your armor and weapons more than I ever will, but I can teach you how to save a little money and what you should be paying for your services. I didn't see your mark in the bath, but it's clear as day you're an adventurer. You don't need to tell us about how your family kicked you out, armor and training aside, we'll just worry about keeping your coin in your pockets.” She brushed back Leah's short cut hair. “Lovely blue eyes and black haired girl. Oh you're just too sweet.” She kissed Leah's forehead and gave her a small hug.
So it was that the married couple that owned the Potted Pickle taught Leah to count coins. They even made a sort of game out of it using money they brought out from their strong box. Leah was getting it, but asked if she could stay a few days and learn more about what they were teaching her. She also liked the bath Matilda had given her. It was sort of nice to be clean most of the time rather than not.
Bruce, that was Mr. Arlee's name, made sure she understood what each of the services and meals would normally cost and made sure that Leah counted them out right and paid the right amount before he took her coin, but he always made it wrong after she paid. She was sure she had it right in her payment, but Mr. Arlee always gave her an extra plate of food at each of her meals. She hadn't paid for them, but he laughed and ignored her when she asked.
So it was that days went by.
Leah even helped around the Inn while it rained and stormed outside. Matilda let Leah keep their father's lucky hammer behind the bar, but made Leah wear a pretty dress even though she didn't have to talk to people. Leah didn't think the dress would be very good in a fight, but it was pretty! The people liked to see Leah work at sweeping and drawing baths, but the other girl, one of Matilda's daughters, avoided Leah and thought she was strange. It turned out well however since working paid for all the costs of staying there. Bruce still had her count out the exchange of what she earned versus what she had to pay. In the end she actually made money staying at the Potted Pickle.
“These people are your friends Leah.” Sarra said one day when Leah was alone in the kitchen and sweeping up and mopping the floors. “Mr. and Mrs. Arlee are anyway. If you want to stay here you can.”
Leah stopped mopping the floor and looked about and out the little view window out into the common room from where she stood in the empty kitchen. No one was coming.
“I still want to go on adventures and fight Sarra.” Leah answered. “It will be hard to follow the Bear Dog man after it's been raining for so many days, but I think he's going to be nice like Therry.”
“You're right about the scent trail, but you shouldn't use the scouts anyway. This close to cities there could be someone who knows what they are. If you're going to Mayonn you will have to find him the human way.” Sarra said.
“You mean talk to people Sarra?” Leah asked.
“Yes. But not only that. You can listen to people when they talk out in the common room. The man you are looking for is called Micheal Morrison. He's joined a pretty famous guild around here called the Unbroken Guard and word has gotten around about his Bear Dog too.”
Leah gasped in shock. “I didn't even notice what they were saying.”
“It's okay Leah. When I'm awake I can help you with that. Just remember to call my name or think about me really hard.”
“Okay...” Leah said, finding herself smiling as she wondered about this man named Micheal.
“Watch the notice board out front too. If you care about these people you can take on local threats instead of going out on long journeys just to feed. I think the food you've been getting is more than enough for the hive. Eating regularly has a calming effect on them too. Fighting might rile them up, but you have been doing really well fighting with my dad's hammer.” Sarra said.
“Our...” Leah whispered sadly and let her head fall.
Sarra took control of one of Leah's hands and lifted Leah's head with it gently.
“Our dad.” Sarra said and took control of the other arm to get Leah mopping again. Leah took control back as she felt her let go, and got back to work. “You're a good worker Leah, and you've been doing really well dealing with the people here. Therry would be proud.”
Leah had to really fight not to cry as a big smile spread across her face. Sarra hardly ever said good things about how Leah was doing. Leah always had to ask Sarra if she was doing them right. She wiped her eyes and worked really hard to make the floor totally spotless.