K.M: I know this has taken a while, God I'm so horrible, and I haven't even answered my reviews… I had to put my other story, Lost Girls Vs Lost Boys, on hold until I finish this one; it was getting to be a hand full… I am racked with guilt for it too.
….Disclaimer….
Thom: She owns nothing, really, nothing, she owns so little that it is depressing for those who know how little she owns. So no suing, got it? KARISSA M. OWNS NONE OF TAMORA PIERCES THINGS!
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The next morning when Kari awoke, she was on a comfortable bed. She struggled up, not recognizing the room she was in. Then she remembered. She rubbed her head, and looked for Razi. The hawk was still sleeping soundly, so she stood up. Instead of the ragged dress she usually wore, Daine had given her a night gown, which was much too big but still better than the green rags.
There was a knock on the door. Kari jumped, before today she had never had a door to knock on. "Um... Come in?" A servant (Cough-Cough-Slave-Cough) came in with two buckets of hot water.
"Lady Veraladaine requests that you bathe and then meet her in her room, Miss." The young woman said, before rushing into the small bathroom adjoined to Kari's small room. Kari followed her and watched as she poured the water into the tub.
When the woman finished Kari bowed politely to her, "Thank you."
She looked a bit shocked to see the girl bowing to her, but bowed back in reply, "Think nothing of it Miss, I'm just doing my duty." And then she rushed out of the room.
Razi had woken by now; he looked rather smug with himself, for whatever reasons no one could tell. Kari quickly undressed and eased her self into the bath, "Eek! It's hot!" She exclaimed.
What did you expect? There was steam coming from it, wasn't there? Razi preened his slightly ruffled feathers.
Kari sighed, "You're a hopeless pig of a bird, and all of the praise one gives you goes straight to your head." She let herself sink into the bath.
Be that as it may, I believe you should stop worrying about my habits and wash your self; Daine wants to see you, remember?
"Yes, I remember, Mother." Kari giggled and scrubbed her filthy body with a bar of scentless soap. "Life is a strange thing Razi. It feels like it was just yesterday when there was no hope my life would be anything better than work, work, an' more work."
Razi sounded amused, It was yesterday, Silly.
Kari scrubbed at a dirty spot on her elbow, "Ah, yes, it was, wasn't it?" She scrubbed her scalp till it ached, "Life is going to be more of an adventure now, I can feel it in my bones."
Well, that's all you are, bones and skin, skin and bones. Razi scolded her like it was her fault.
Kari didn't reply, but got out of the bath. There was a drying clothe on the ground. She wrapped herself in it and found when she came out of the bathing room, with Razi on her shoulder, that a servant had brought a fresh dress. It was light brown and Kari hurriedly put it on, before emerging into the hall outside. Daine had managed to get her a room not to far from her own.
Kari counted doors until she reached Diane's. She heard muffled voices on the other side, she guessed they belonged to Diane and several guests.
"… Poor thing hardly any meat on her bones."
Kari shook her head; she wouldn't eavesdrop on these people, no matter if they were talking about her. She knocked on the door and waited, hands locked behind her back. There was a shuffling of feet and Diane answered the door, Kari could see Lady Keladry, Lady Burriam, and Lady Alanna in the background. Daine smiled, "Kari, we were just talking about you, come in!"
Kari bowed hastily and followed Diane into the room. Razi sat on her shoulder still as proud as a hawk should be, Good choice not eavesdropping, Diane could tell we were there. Kari nodded and curtsied to the women in the room,.
Alanna grinned, "Please, don't be so formal, you don't have to curtsy, or bow, every time you see us, it gets to be a bother."
Kari nodded and sat in a chair that Diane motioned her to sit in. The older woman sat in a chair nearby. "Like I mentioned last night we're going to go get new clothes for you, but first we need a rough idea of what you need."
The girl felt suddenly like there were too many decisions in the world. She had been wearing the same dress for the last six years, no one ever asked her what she wanted for that time, no one cared what she wanted, or how she felt, and the only people whom had ever cared about that were Razi, Pita, and her parents, before they had been killed. Now that she thought about it she couldn't remember ever once thinking about what life would have been like if her parents hadn't died, and she hadn't been taken as a slave, all she had thought about was mucking the stalls and fetching the water, and waking up on time, unless she was feeling particularly rebellious.
"I-I'd mayhap want a leather glove, like you said yesterday, Diane. An'… something new to wear…" She felt helplessly stupid, though Kari often believed herself above many other humans intellectual wise.
Kel's face looked sympathetic, "I think maybe we should just wing it Diane, she looks a bit… overwhelmed."
"Yes, I agree, let's just take her to the market and let her pick from the selection." Buri nodded in agreement.
Kari felt relief and gratitude flow over her, and felt a little less stupid. The women all got up and left, and that was when Kari noticed that she was the only one in the whole bunch that was wearing a dress. She looked down at her self, and asked out loud, "Do the clothes we get have to be dresses?"
Alanna laughed and patted her shoulder, "Kari, I think you're going to fit in just fine with us."
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A/N: I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter after I got started! It was entertaining, though I know not much happened. I liked the end quite a lot. I already have the end in sight for this Fanfic, and the beginning/plot line for the next one! Just so I don't get your hopes up, I planned for a little romance in this fic, but I have swerved away from that path, mostly since I changed whom the romance will be about. That means, sadly, that there will be no Kari/Thom, like I planned, But take heart! I believe the decision I made was best for the story!
Kari: -gags- You were going to make me go out with… THOM?
Thom: What's wrong with that?
Kari and K.M: ….
Thom: HEY! You are both bad people!
