The Princess and the Blade

[Emora Deen]

Laurius picked at his brittle hair again as the two bickered like he were still on fire and needing to be triaged at the hospital. The barber forced him into a chair and clicked his tongue at least a dozen times.

It seemed one of the other barbers in the corner had won the contest to determine who would get to attend Havitharon. Laurius lifted his eyes as his stylist began work. "I wouldn't let them touch your hair... Te—" He stopped short of saying the princess's name. "Your woman likely likes it just the way it is."

"His woman," sang a girl sweeping the floor. She grinned at Havitharon, pausing her sweeping to rest on her broom. She had a low cut blouse and a tattoo of a snake winding up her chest and around her neck. "How do you feel about havin' two women? I'll play nice with the misses."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi stiffened, nearly backing up into the stylist who was investigating his hair from much too close. The man seemed oblivious, as if the girl's behavior was commonplace to them. "How is it that you don't have any split ends?! Is this your real color?"

The Ivis stopped, now trapped between the extroverted strangers. "Such a thing is not possible," he grimaced at the woman, and whirled toward the stylist. "Fine, you can give me split ends or whatever you want," he muttered, shoving the much smaller man toward the wash basins at the back of the shop and conveniently escaping the woman's advances.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius snorted at the confused look the man had as he was pushed towards the basins. He awkwardly guided Havitharon into the chair and his head back into the bowl and began washing the Ivis's hair with passionate care, raving about the feel of it running through his fingers.

"My, my, how did you get like this?!" the man working on Laurius's hair asked. "Goodness... This is calls for my special, proprietary growth serum..."

Laurius emerged from the barbershop with his red hair cleaned and looking as if it had never been burned at all. The stylist had been good, and his magical serums that regrew hair had returned it to its former glory. It hung around his shoulders, curly and free until he reached and tied it back with a leather cord bought from the shop.

He turned to Havitharon to guide him towards the blacksmith shop when a male voice called above the crowd’s chatter, “Laurius Marnigan, as I live and breathe.” The stranger was tall, with long dark brown hair. Gray streaked his hair around his temples, and fine silver adorned his beard. He stretched his hand out toward the merchant.

Laurius seemed to go still as stone when he saw and finally recognized the man. He slowly lowered his hand, hesitantly shaking the stranger’s offered greeting. “Professor Oberin. It has been a long time.”

“Long indeed,” Oberin agreed, drawing his hand back to his side. He looked Laurius over, the corner of his twitching a bit higher. Then he glanced to Havitharon and did a doubletake. "Is he with you? Not going to introduce me?”

“Ugh… Havitharon Ruthe,” Laurius said, motioning from Havitharon to Oberin. “Professor Oliver Oberin, chemistry.”

“I’m over the metaphysics department now,” Oberin beamed, chest inflating.

“Havitharon is my research assistant,” Laurius said before Oberin could ask.

“They are so hard to find.” The professor sighed.

Laurius's gaze drew to movement near Oberin’s feet, and he saw a child peek out from behind the professor’s robes. She was small, skinny, and filthy, with a tangled mop of brown hair and one blue eye. The other was covered in a red-stained rag used for a makeshift eyepatch. Laurius thought of the jar of eyes a few stalls back and felt sick. The girl wore no shoes on her feet, and a literal flour sack for a dress. A serpent circlet collar hung around her neck, similar to the one that had bound Tenara while she was in Elias’s camp.

Oberin shifted his attention to the child, his smile growing. “This is Lee. A quiet thing. Very obedient. We just got through trading her eye for jade tiger bones. She only needs the one, right Lee?” Lee looked up at Oberin, her one eye searching his face before she nodded with forced enthusiasm.

Oberin passed Lee the two books he carried under his arm. She clutched them to her, each almost as large as her torso. “If you’re in need of a page while your here, they have them for rent in the supply store down the way. Their condition and usefulness varies though.”

“You don’t say,” Laurius said, his throat dry. “Is that where you got Lee?”

“No, I bought her about two years ago on my last trip to Arroes,” he said, putting his hand on Lee’s small back. “I have a class to teach, but I would love if we could catch up…“ There was a hungry glint in his eyes then. “Maybe over dinner?”

“Maybe,” Laurius said. “I’ll see you around, I’m sure. I’m here for two weeks researching for a new project commissioned by the crown.”

“Well, must go, or I’ll be late. Come Lee.”

Lee nodded and skipped to catch up, struggling to keep the large books in her tiny arms. She looked at Havitharon as she passed, her one eye going wide as she realized just how tall he was, and scurried away as if he would open his mouth and gobble her up.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi couldn't quite process what he was seeing and hearing. He had witnessed so many awful things since coming to this world, but the moment he'd made eye contact with the child, he'd seen red. His usual callousness toward the female sex didn't apply here. This was not a Yurivis, but an immature girl. "Stop. I want that child," he growled at the man leaving them. His eyes had grown into hard yellow stormclouds.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius did a double take on Havitharon, not believing what he was hearing. *What are you doing?* he asked through his grip on the sword.

Oberin paused and turned to look back at Havitharon. Then, his gaze fell on Lee, where she stood next to him with her arms tangled over his books. An amused grin spread over his face. “I don’t loan out my property to just anyone. Or, are you suggesting I sell her to you?”

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi didn't seem anywhere close to calming down. *She is not going with him,* he seethed. He took a step forward, looking ready to physically take her.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius’s eyes widened as he saw Havitharon take a step toward blowing up their entire cover only four hours after arriving.

“He—we—would like to buy her,” Laurius said, skipping to step up and slid between Havitharon and Oberin. “If you’re willing to sell her.”

Oberin looked down at Lee, who looked between her current master and her prospective new one with bland uncertainty, likely because she knew she had no say in the matters. “Well, she is missing the eye now, so I don’t suppose I could begin to ask for full price… How about I negotiate the sell with you over dinner?”

Laurius felt his stomach drop for more than one reason. That would mean the girl would go with Oberin, and that would set Havi off… It also meant he would have to meet with his old professor in a more private setting. Though, all of that gave him the benefit of time—because he had no idea how they were going to pay for her.

“Might we take her now and discuss the payment at dinner?” Laurius began. “Havitharon’s species finds it hard to part with… a craving.”

Oberin nodded with unusual sympathy. “It is an unorthodox arrangement. Usually you collect payment before handing over the goods, but I hold a fondness for you, Laurius, and you haven’t got far you can go. I know you’re good for it. Fine, I suppose you can.” He bent and took his books back from Lee, placing his hand on her small back again and nudging her towards Havitharon. “You’re lucky. She used to bite.” Then, he righted himself. “I’ve got to get to that class, but I expect you at my chamber this evening!”

Then he was gone, and Lee stood where he’d been, staring up at Havitharon with the blood slowly draining from her face.

“Well, fuck,” Laurius said, turning to look at Havitharon. “We do not have the money nor the time for adopting little slave girls, Havitharon.”

[Soran Nightblade]

"Look at her!" Havi snapped at him, then tamped down his temper as he noticed the child flinch. "She can't possibly stay with that louse."

[Emora Deen]

Laurius looked around at the crowd that had slowed to eye them after Havitharon's outburst. He sighed and curled his hand over the child's shoulder and urged Havitharon to follow him as he guided them into a quieter, more private area of the market. He got close to Havitharon and whispered so the child was less likely to hear, "You better bury any empathy you have, Havitharon, or we'll either fail to get that book back or be killed." He glanced around. "We haven't even been here two hours, are you going to make it two weeks? Will we have an army of children? How are we going to pay for them? How are we going to pay for this one?" He motioned angrily to Lee, where she stood patiently at the opening of their alcove, her hands clasped in front of her. He looked her over, at her malnourished, frail appearance, and the bloody rag eyepatch. He sighed and clenched his eyes. "I'll figure it out, but she's your responsibility."

[Soran Nightblade]

Havitharon frowned remorselessly. "Are you saying there are more like her?" he demanded.

[Emora Deen]

Laurius pinched the bridge of his nose. "Not as young," he said. "Better treated, since they are property of the citadel and not privately owned. If you want to get that book back, if you want to see Tenara again, you're going to want to not go on a crusade for orphans. Do you understand? Get it together."

Lee hissed and Laurius's attention snapped to her. She dropped her hands quickly back down to her sides, pretending as if nothing had happened, but he knew she'd been touching the bandage over her eye.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi was still about to argue with Laurius, but he spun to the small child when Laurius's attention diverted to her. She barely came up to Havi's waist. He knelt before her. "Does it hurt?" he asked. It wasn't the tone an adult would normally take with a child. Closer to the way you might speak to a stranger who didn't speak the same language.

[Emora Deen]

Lee shook her head, but Laurius knew she was lying. It was in a slave's interest to cause her master as little trouble as possible. Her gaze roamed Havitharon's face, going up to his horns. She stared at his broken one from a moment before meeting his eyes.

"Do you speak?" Laurius asked.

She nodded, but said nothing.

"I'm Laurius. This is Havitharon," he said, patting Havi on the head. "He's not going to eat you... I don't think."

Lee's eye widened.

[Soran Nightblade]

Havi whirled on the smaller man with a snarl. "Do not frighten her!"

Seeing as how even Laurius flinched at that one, he didn't really want to know what Lee's face looked like. Havi sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Where can we find our quarters? I can do something for that eye, but not in public."

[Emora Deen]

Laurius swallowed. "Ugh, sure. Yes. This way," he said. "Come along, Lee."

Laurius led them through the market, up the stairs, through the courtyard, and into the next wing. He stopped at a desk sitting outside a set of double stained-glass doors. "Hi, I'm Laurius Marnigan. I checked in at the front entrance. We're here for two weeks to do research for the crown and require boarding. Can you help?"

A few minutes later, Laurius had the key to a room on the fourth floor. They took the spiraling steps up, and Laurius unlocked the door to a chamber three doors from the stairs. The room beyond was a central hub with two small bedrooms to the left and right. The central hub had two sofas and two small desks. At the back of the room was an arched window with red glass. The gloomy, smokey day beyond did little to bring any light through it, but it had enough to cast an eerie tint to the chamber. Laurius motioned them in, going to the room to the left and peeking in. "Two beds, two baths. Not bad."

Lee hesitated, looking the door over before she went inside. There was a barely noticeable tremble to her little knees as she stood quietly between the two sofas—waiting for orders or to be eaten or worse.

Laurius went back to the main door, closing and locking it. When the lock clicked into place, Lee almost took a step back but seemed to remember herself and stood her ground.

"Take off the bandage," Laurius said, going to a basin and pouring a pitcher of water into it. "Let's see what we're working with..."

The girl frowned and slowly lifted her hands to the bandage over her eye, unwinding it and slowly pulling it away. Laurius couldn't bring himself to look.