God, this fool stinks! Sweat, blood, dirt, unwashed clothes, and of course his rank breath blowing right in my face. "Girl! Where is my ale? Bring it here, now!" How can he stand to be so damned filthy? I bring him his drink and leave as quickly as I can, trying my best not to wrinkle my nose at his stench. I have been slapped more than once for making faces, no matter that it's not my fault the damned Sarafan don't know how to bathe! This time I manage to keep a straight face. I go back to wiping the bar down, and sigh as it is proven futile by yet another soldier coming in and plops his rusty sword right on the part I had finished not five minutes ago and demands dinner. I'll have to do that part over, not that it will do any good.

I'm not surprised when the first idiot drains his glass and staggers off without paying. If it wouldn't get me beaten or worse, I would have never brought him his first drink, but the Sarafan are notorious for taking what they want from anyone. I suppose I'm lucky that food and drink is all they want from me. They wanted more from my best friend and neighbor, Jilly. The baby's due in about a month now. They also wanted more from her brother. He's been buried less than a week for refusing. I wonder if maybe we wouldn't be better off without them. They claim to protect us from the "vampire plague," and yet the creatures seem to follow them around! They claim to be noble, our saviors, and yet they rape most of the women and some of the men regularly. Could the vampires possibly be worse?

And here comes another one, this one a captain. He's a new face; I generally see the common foot soldiers. The others tend to take what they need from the homes of the formerly wealthy. He props his blade next to the bar instead of laying it directly on top and asks what is good today after he orders a glass of wine. As long as it's been sitting here, it's about time someone drinks it. I think nastily as I smile in his face and recommend the chicken. The soldiers came when my mother was still small, and no one has been able to afford the luxury of wine but the soldiers since. Not that they would want it; most just want to get drunk, fed, and laid quickly so they can get back on patrol satisfied. So I smile even though he smells just as vile as his underlings. If they aren't happy, they make sure no one else is either. He reaches up to scratch his cheek, and dried blood drifts onto the floor. It would seem even the leaders of the Sarafan were as terrified of water as their prey. And still my fake grin doesn't falter, though I know I'm going to have to sweep under his chair about three times once he leaves. He orders more wine, a plate of baked chicken, and nothing more from me. Again I am thankful for the combination of features that most girls would bitterly curse. I can't stand the thought of those foul men touching me, even if some believe it an honor to share the bed of a Sarafan soldier.

Now things start to get a little busy; the bulk of today's patrol has come back. Many would stick around for an hour or two before leaving, but a few would stay well into the night. I'm usually up quite late with straggling drunkards, and by the looks of tonight's crowd I may just work straight through to morning.

Before I leave the captain, I as if he is new in town. He replies that he is, and I stretch my false smile as far as I can without splitting my face. "Well, then!" I exclaim win a cheerful voice that is just as real as my smile and the words to come, "I must say it's nice to have you're here! I bid you welcome on behalf of all Uschetenheim!"