Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Past the copper bit brothels

Every city has in some form or another a district similar to the Anbar District of Ar, where the rents are low and coin can purchase many things that an honest merchant would turn down profit for. Ar's is just more renowned. Within the twists and turns of the alleyways into darkened passages between a shop of inexpensive brands and the seedy physician's tenement where no questions were asked of the purpose or patient for whatever vial of drug needed, past the copper bit brothel, the guardsmen had leased one of the insula apartments. The less coin invested the greater their take when they sold the girl.
It seemed a matter of ihn after returning to the flat, Dohlt and his comrade were out the door again leaving exquise to herself. In a way she was being thoughtful of their coins in not lighting the lamps but in the dimness, the ragged rep cushions and tattered furs didn't appear as obviously dismal. The fragrance of stale paga and other noxious aromas was masked only by opening one of the shutters a crack to let in air.
Drawing off her cloak, she immediately began brushing off the dust and grass fragments that had adhered during her service at the springs. One or two hitch-hiking seed pods were carefully plucked away before she folded the cape and set it aside. It wasn't the stream of cool air that filtered through the shutter that made her shiver and sigh deeply. It was the skepticism of the future. Only hands ago she knew well what her life was to be and now ... its details came only moment by moment.
The bantering among those gathered earlier today had not escaped her as she held out her hands before her to study them. She had not been opposed to hard work, she had merely never been exposed to it nor had there ever been any reason to be. Was she so pampered as described by the man and woman speaking today? As her fingertips touched and brushed each other, something or rather someone else slipped into her thoughts. A piece of rence folded within a young man's hands had caught her attention as she was forced to leave the natural baths. She had wished to see what became of it when he had lept from the boulder to his feet. It had been almost startling when she looked up into his face, so beautiful, so perfectly chiseled but his eyes ... It was not like the girl to express emotions often and for some reason he had provoked a smile. It would have been bold to speak to him but in a sense was grateful that Shorl had intervened. She would not have known exactly what to say. 'Silly girl, there is little chance you will meet with him again. When the guards return surely they will have found a new owner for you.' The envisionment was not of the grandeur she had once expected and that shiver coursed over her more fiercely

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