{"id":121,"date":"2018-01-16T18:45:43","date_gmt":"2018-01-16T18:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/?p=121"},"modified":"2018-01-16T18:45:43","modified_gmt":"2018-01-16T18:45:43","slug":"twenty-eight-the-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2018\/01\/16\/twenty-eight-the-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Twenty-Eight: The People"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Raven had done something, she was sure of it. \u00a0She had expected to be in the part of the train where people crowded onto benches or sat in the aisles. \u00a0That was cheap part, the part where most people like her rode. <\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, she and the Raven and six people wearing what looked like really not enough clothing were seated on a U-shaped bench in a cozy car of the train with enough room for all of them – and maybe two more – and she was trying not to look as if she felt as horribly out of her depth as she did. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo.\u201d \u00a0One of the attendants – a woman, maybe a few years older than Raizel, whose incomplete clothing was of finer stuff than some of the others – cleared her throat. \u00a0\u201cWhat is it that you do, mistress?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a clockmaker\u2019s apprentice.\u201d \u00a0Raizel said it flat. \u00a0\u201cI work for my father and my grandfather in the family business.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou – you\u2019re an apprentice? \u00a0And you\u2019re – sorry, Mistress.\u201d \u00a0The woman bowed her head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCailing, Mistress.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRaizel. \u00a0I\u2019m Raizel, I\u2019m not-\u201d \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Diamond Raven cut her off with a polite clearing of his throat. \u00a0\u201cFor now, perhaps they can call you ma\u2019am, Raizel-ma\u2019am?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat – yeah. \u00a0That is, um. \u00a0That\u2019s acceptable. \u00a0Raven, what have you gotten me into?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the question is what have we gotten these fine people into. \u00a0And the only way we\u2019re going to find that out is to ask them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cExcuse me?\u201d \u00a0Cailing raised her eyebrows and looked, Raizel thought, offended by it. \u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s in charge. \u00a0She <\/span>owns<\/span><\/i> us. \u00a0She\u2019s the one that knows what she\u2019s gotten us into.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYes. \u00a0But Mistress Raizel, Raizel-ma\u2019am here is from a remote mountain city, which, while forward in many things, does not have slaves – as doesn\u2019t my home city. \u00a0And thus we are going to bow to your authority when it comes to the matter of suddenly owning people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Next to Cailing, a man in a rough version of the incomplete clothing snorted. \u00a0\u201cThe new Mistress has a point, Cailing. \u00a0You have to admit that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s supposed to <\/span>tell us what to do<\/span><\/i>.\u201d \u00a0Cailing was clearly offended.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWell, and she\u2019s telling you to tell her what you can do and what you want to do, isn\u2019t she? \u00a0So do what you\u2019re told.\u201d \u00a0He bowed from a sitting position to Raizel. \u201cI\u2019m called Weckel, Mistress. \u00a0And I tended the lady\u2019s gardens and her properties. \u00a0I imagine you don\u2019t have gardens and properties, but I can help carry your things or I can help you find someone good to sell us to. \u00a0I did a lot of the buying, you see.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWeckel!\u201d Cailing stared at the man. \u00a0\u201cYou want to <\/span>tell her how to sell us?<\/span><\/i> \u00a0Why would you want to be sold?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBecause, fluff for brains, I want to be useful. \u00a0Nobody wants to be owned by someone who doesn\u2019t need them, you over-decorative piece of-\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHey!\u201d \u00a0Raizel cut in. \u00a0\u201cNone of that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Weckel and Cailing both looked guilty; it was Cailing that answered. \u00a0\u201cNone of what, Mistress?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo insulting each other. \u00a0I don\u2019t want to hear it. \u00a0All right. \u00a0So Weckel kept the grounds. \u00a0What about the rest of you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She went around the circle. \u00a0It turned out that the woman who had owned them had kept Cailing as an attendant to her currently-dead husband, two of the others for cooking, and the other two for cleaning.<\/span><\/p>\n

Too many people in her family would be far too pleased if she came back with people whose only job it was to clean or cook. \u00a0But then again, they would need to be housed, properly clothed, and fed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd what do you <\/span>want<\/span><\/i> to do?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They stared at her blankly. \u00a0Raizel began to understand what their former employer had been telling her. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Raven looked around them. \u00a0\u201cThis is going to be.. interesting,\u201d he muttered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat about you?\u201d Cailing complained \u00a0\u201cYou\u2019re wearing her collar.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTechnically,\u201d he coughed, before Raizel could say anything at all, \u201cit\u2019s her lasso. \u00a0She trapped me. \u00a0And the kitten. \u00a0She\u2019s getting us out of the way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Raziel cleared her throat. \u00a0That <\/span>had<\/span><\/i> been what she was doing, yes, but that had been – <\/span><\/p>\n

-well, a couple days ago, she supposed. \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m going to the capitol to pay my family\u2019s taxes. \u00a0I have a couple errands to run along the way. \u00a0If there is a place you would like to settle, or a sort of person you would like to work for, you have a few days to think about it. \u00a0It\u2019s not a short train ride, after all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They were silent. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Raven had done something, she was sure of it. \u00a0She had expected to be in the part of the train where people crowded onto benches or sat in the aisles. \u00a0That was cheap part, the part where most people like her rode. Instead, she and the Raven and six people wearing what looked like… Continue reading Twenty-Eight: The People<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Side Quest Chapter Twenty-Eight: The People\r\n\r\nOh, what HAS Raizel gotten into\u2026?","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-quest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Tn4Q-1X","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":117,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2018\/01\/05\/twenty-seven-the-train\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":0},"title":"Twenty-Seven: The Train","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"January 5, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cAm I really here?\u201d Raizel muttered to the Diamond Raven. \u00a0It felt unlikely. \u00a0She had been trying for this for what seemed like months, even if it had only been days, and here they were, on the platform, buying two tickets for the train. \u00a0 That she had the Diamond\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Quest"","block_context":{"text":"Quest","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/category\/quest\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":110,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/31\/twenty-six-the-price\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":1},"title":"Twenty-Six: The Price","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 31, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Raizel shared a look with the Raven. \u00a0He looked at her, then at the two attendant, at the woman, and back at her. She cleared her throat. \u201cYour husband is a sword?\u201d \u201cMy husband is The Blessed Sword. \u00a0It was given to him by the gods. \u00a0To become the sword\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 6 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 6 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/31\/twenty-six-the-price\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":98,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":2},"title":"Twenty-Three: Cleaner","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 16, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"They made it to the bathhouse without further incident. \u00a0Raizel had never been inside a place like this, but she\u2019d heard the stories and descriptions from people in the town that went down into the flatter lands: There were rainfall devices where you soaped off, and then big drinking-trough tubs\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 5 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 5 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/16\/twenty-three-cleaner\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":87,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/09\/22\/nineteen-evil-and-escape\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":3},"title":"Nineteen: Evil and Escape","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"September 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cFor people who know about this thing\u2014\u201d the Diamond Raven warned. \u201cFor people to know about it is truth! \u00a0Is all of us who rotted for the Tzar laid to rest! \u00a0Is everything that went wrong put better!\u201d \u00a0The deserter was foaming at the mouth. \u00a0Raizel took a step back.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 4 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 4 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/09\/22\/nineteen-evil-and-escape\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/04\/twenty-psst\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":4},"title":"Twenty-One: Psst","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"October 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cI don\u2019t think she really wants the kitten gone,\u201d the Diamond Raven commented, when they were out the gate and on another road. \u00a0\u201cAnd I don\u2019t blame her.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s pretty cute, isn\u2019t it?\u201d \u00a0She looked down at it, and it looked up at her and mewled. \u00a0\u201cI bet it\u2019s terrified.\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/10\/04\/twenty-psst\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60,"url":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":121,"position":5},"title":"Twelve: Watch What You Say","author":"Lyn Thorne-Alder","date":"July 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The man who might or might not b the Diamond Raven struggled, but he couldn\u2019t seem to do anything about the cord around his neck and, rather than have Raizel tug it tighter, he followed her. \u00a0\u201cI have things I should get-\u201d he protested, but she didn\u2019t listen, and then\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/2017\/07\/27\/twelve-watch-what-you-say\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/121\/revisions\/122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.lynthornealder.com\/sidequest\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}