A Proper Young Thief
M.K.Barry
Chapter 18: Work
Lissa needed work.
It had taken a few days for her to rest from her days of travel. The moment she had been able to rest, she came down with a bad cold. She refused to see a doctor, choosing instead just to sleep and rest. She dressed only to go to the common-area, and eat what she could, drink whatever broth was available. The days passed in a blur of fever, aches and pains as her muscles slowly recovered, as the callouses and cuts on her feet slowly healed, and scarred. The scratches on her arms and face finished healing, though there were times when her fever was very bad that she felt like she could have peeled all the skin off her face, times when it felt more like a mask than her real skin.
Then she started to feel better. The fever subsided, her dizziness passed, and as snow started to fall over Rawlins. When she finally stepped out of the Inn, wearing only the quickly repaired cloak she had left with, and the loosely fitting tunic and pants that had been found for her, and her old boots,
And now, here she was. Walking the streets of Rawlins, looking for work. Something that could take her at least through the winter. She of course, had plenty of skills that she could use. Housekeeping, of course. Something simple, something that she knew how to do. There was also the idea of becoming and apprentice to a seamstress. She could sew, of course, so if she was lucky, she could of course get a position.
But, most seamstresses were looking for young ladies. Girls, who didn't mind a hard day of work.
She was not a girl, at least, not as far as anyone was supposed to know. That was her two skills, housekeeping, and dressmaking, useless for the time. For the time, it was better to continue to mask herself. Being alone in a big city as dangerous enough. It was even more dangerous for a young lady. Not to mention the fact that if they realized in her home that she was not really dead, if they found out where she was.
“Home.” She muttered. She wondered suddenly how her mother was, how long it might be until she would be able to go home and visit, if only for a little. If only like those short visited her father used to make in the dead of night.
She shook thoughts of home out of her head, before they drifted to thoughts of death. She didn't need that. She had had all the time she had wanted, and more, to idle on death while she was sick.
Now wasn't a time to let herself just dwell on that. She couldn't, and she didn't want to. She needed something to take her away from that.
She needed work.
Soon, she found herself back at the square. Having wandered though endless, turning streets filled with merchants at stands, and small shops squished between houses, she had come back to the square, the well, the apothecary.
A thought took her suddenly, which at once revolted her and elated her. She remembered the fear, the terror on the man's face when ella had torn into him, threatened him as she had.
She half ran across the square towards the apothecary. She opened the door, and a bell ran as she walked into the warm room. Light from the dusty window glinted off the bottles and jars on the shelves. She heard the ringing of a tiny bell as she closed the door behind her, and a moment later, from the open door that led into the back, the apothecary came out. He looked up at her from a jar he was labeling with charcoal, looked up, and dropped the jar and the charcoal. The Jar thankfully didn't break, but it landed with a loud clunk, and rolled until it hit the counter.
“Oh balls.” the apothecary breathed, “Why are you here? I've left you alone.”
“Hire me.”
“... I Beg your-”
“I need to work. You work here by yourself, don't you? Apothecaries generally do well, don't they? You can afford an assistant.”
“I.. I've done nothing to you. I didn't really hurt you, everything was sorted before anything happened! And besides, I work alone. I don't need an assistant.”
Lissa felt her mind race, and surprisingly, she came up with something fast. “you know, I got sick just after I got into town.” She snapped, “Horrible fever, weakness, muscle aches. Could be a cold. But hey, it could also be whatever fumes I inhaled from whatever you were trying to get me to drink.”
“I.. It wasn't.. I didn't even get it close to you.”
“Did you? Can you even remember? You were about to force that stuff down my throat when Ella got here. And you know, me being sick... it really hindered my finding a job, getting settled here in town. I'm sure Ella would appreciate that, wouldn't she?”
“Look.” She said, panicing a little now. He looked around, picked the jar off the floor, and set it on the counter. “Look. Even if I were to hire you.. I have no use for you. A young lady-”
“Young lady?”
“I'm old, miss. I can easily tell the difference between a young man and a young woman. Besides, Ella wasn't really trying to keep that quiet when she stormed in here and got you.” He shook his head, “I don't have a use for a young man, let alone a young woman, especially one who knows nothing about the kind of work I do.” He reached down, picked up the stick of charcoal one more, and finished writing something on the label. “Now excuse me, I have to close up.”
“...Why? Isn't it early to close up?”
“I'm not closing up for the day, st-” he hesitated, then set the jar back on the table. I”m closing up so I can make a quick run over to a client's house.”
“A patient?”
“Not quite. Just a delivery. A customer of mine has a new little wife, and she's having trouble, shall we say, getting used to him? I've made her a little mixture that should do the trick.”
“Well then, I can bring it. That's something easy enough, isn't it?”
“Fine!” he snapped. He rummaged around under the counter until her came up with a burlap sack, He put the jar inside, and tied it tightly. “If it'll get you out of my hair, you can take it.”
“And.. you will pay me?”
“Yes, yes, I'll pay you-” He thrust the sack into her hands and pushed her towards the door, “Just get out of my hair. Don't set Ella on me or anything, just take it and go.” He opened the door, the bell rang overhead. She stumbled as she was pushed back outside. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the brightness of the snow-covered outside. Behind her, she heard the door squeak closed. She turned quickly.
“Wait, where do I bring it!”
“You're bringing it to the new wife of Lawson Dives. He lives in a big house on the west side of town. Ask around, you'll find it.”
He let the door close, leaving Lissa, holding a packing for Lawson.
No comments:
Post a Comment