It was the norm here to once in a while take apprentices under wing, and to Anya, this was the best route to take, although Mr. Jeakel kept an even closer eye on her since this morning. Hannah was often a houseworker until she would marry… The same boat was for Anya if she going to stay. Distracting work was a brilliant plan as the day would begin as soon as her eyes would open… there was always work to be done. Anya already had the hole she dug for herself of being a young milk maiden. The fact of nightmares had to be avoided for the time being since time stops for no man… Their conversation stayed private mainly in fear of rousing the prejudice among the people, especially Mr. Jeakel and the other Jewish men who were close friends there. There was Mr. Mann, who was stout, jittery and was prone to gossip. His voice was high pitched and annoying… and there was Mr. Agar who lived higher from the Barber shop lodging. Anya thought he was all right, but did not know him well and he was often in his home, smoking his pipe while his wife held the fort. Often he played chess with Mr. Jeakel.
Charlot had his shop, Hannah was entrusted with housework in the court, often doing local laundry and Anya… well, she had to be interviewed by the local milker. One rule was that if you needed a roof over your head, you had to earn it with whatever talent you had, and Anya had gotten herself into this, willingly.
Shelly happened by, sticking along the wall, watching Anya finally come down into the court, ready for the day. Charlot was sweeping up his store front in time when Anya soon came to start her short walk with Mary~ Anya was nervous about this but had a general idea…
"Look, there she is ~ This is her first time in the Ghetto~?" Anya overheard the neighbors mutter, their fascination of her apparent existance here was feeding some anxiety. "My, bless his heart…"
It has already been a day and she was the talk of the century. Wonderful news!
Charlot spotted her anxiousness by a mile as she was walked out by Mary, out of the goodness of her own heart.
"There is no need to be nervous, my dear~ Remember what we said about keeping our chins up?"
"I remember all too well…" Anya smiled, thankful at him. "I am confident I can do this. I promise."
"Oh, no need for that ~ you will do just fine." his sweet smile had the ability to bring the sun up. "You remember what we talked about this morning?"
"Ah~ Not to wander and once I am done, return straight here…" Anya answered without a stutter.
"That's a clever girl~" Charlot gleefully said, giving her a little pat as she began her way with a basket of some of the bread and apples she bought before. As soon as she turned the corner, Charlot kept his eyes locked there as his smile softly lessened a little, putting on more worry than he wished as he continued to sweep.
"It is not far, Mr. Elden. She will be all right." Mary comforted.
It was not the fact of Anya leaving the court on her own, no. It was actually partial to those dreams, that they both saw that exact same element.
"I know…" Charlot flashed a smile, busying himself.
Anya kept glancing back every now and again, making sure that she wasn't being followed at all, excepting a few Jewish couples and shoppers. She sighed before she spotted one speckled cat walk along the wall above her. Oh, was she in trouble? There was only one way to find out, by coming to a wooden bench and she sat down for a moment. She had to make it look like to the locals that she was checking her basket as the feline hopped down and slipped underneath the bench. When there came a lull in the crowd, the cat squeezed through the wood and hid herself in the basket. Tucking the cloth down, she heard a moody hiss before she picked up the basket to go on her merry way.
"Not a good time, I have an interview, you know?" Anya tightly whispered under her breath.
There was a stable area beside another shop, a food vender that was full of vegetables, gourds and dairy. This was the one part of the market for milk, which needed a stable for one purpose for this one part of this dusty town of the more industrial part of Tomania. Giving herself a moment, she went into the small alley behind the stable and hid. At once when she was sure to be hidden, she whipped up the cloth, with her face a storm.
"I am blending in, half peppering everything, like you wanted, yet you are hissing at me when you get all your lint all over our well earned food? That WE AS A TEAM paid for? Get out of my basket —" Anya flicked the cloth at the cat's face before she hopped out into the hay.
Shelly formed back, just as huffy. Anya fixed the hair out of her face, looking out for anyone coming.
"You are going to embarrass me…"
"You should wake up embarrassed…" Shelly crossed her arms. "You mentioned an Unforgivable? Really?"
"Oh god, not now…" Anya shut her eyes.
"This is huge… Anya~ with that whole nightmare speal you gave, I don't think you were aware that Charlot had a nightmare too…"
"I didn't mention it and — wait~ How did you…?"
"Charlot was… crying in his sleep last night." Shelly mentioned. Anya looked down and sat down. "I heard him as I was climbing down… Anya, what was the nightmare really about? It's possible both of yours were the same one. Why would he be crying?"
Anya finally looked back at Shelly, fully realizing. Charlot seemed familiar when she mentioned that light, a fact that she thought would be a clue, to lead them to stay in the city, but… that was probably a massive mistake.
"I told you to keep it somber…"
"I did. I am a female, as are you, they tend to be hysterical in this period,"
"I have a feeling it runs a lot deeper than that,"
"Okay, let's just forget my bad acting for a second, and move on to your—"
"You want him to know about us. Don't you?"
"It's not that~ it's—" "Well, you mentioned an Unforgivable in front of him!"
"Okay, okay~ I did hint at it… because eventually, if everything gets screwed over. Just suppose, things get screwed over, and leaving them with less pain to deal with. Because, I can tell, in little ways, he is as magical as you and I. Charlot just never had a wand… And… if he had the same dream…" Anya sighed, horror filling her heart. " …God, he just witnessed his own… That is why he was so ~ damn…"
"So, you did have the same dream." Shelly sighed. "Were you going to mention it, even if he didn't have it?"
"Yes. Because I'm not leaving them in the dark, should either of us get killed. They will know what it is, recognize it and hopefully live another day…"
Shelly sighed before slowly coming to sit beside Anya, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Poor Charlot… He didn't say anything."
"He cares about you. He probably didn't want to upset you more." Shelly guessed. "You were pretty convincing."
Anya gave her some side eye at that prod. "Those weren't crocodile tears. I am pretty scared…"
Shelly held her hand tight. "Me too. But we will get through this, okay?"
"I have an appointment." Anya plainly said, whilst wiping her eyes.
"Ohhh~ joy." Shelly teased, squeezing her palms while pulling at the air upward and downward.
Anya shoved her aside. "Oh shut up~ You stay out, because I'll squirt you." she half threatened before she got back up. "Here…" Anya then handed Shelly some bread and apples. "I don't ever recall you eating at all since early yesterday."
"Thanks…"
"Hey, um… if you want, we can plan a chance meeting… so you don't have be a stray the whole time."
"Oh and milk cows for a living, is that right?" Shelly teased, taking a huge bite of apple.
"I don't know, maybe you can be a shoe polisher, who knows."
"Haaah, very funny~"
"Look, it's not that bad here. I've never felt this at home before." Anya offered.
"How was supper last night?"
"Very dry~" Anya almost laughed. "I just did the pizza, french fry thing and it worked out pretty well."
"I am just kidding." Shelly laughed along. "I can tell you like it here, with them. But, I don't know… Like you said. If things get screwed… This was what scared me ever since we came…"
Anya tried to say more but decided not to press the matter. "We'll talk about it later… I have to go."
The walk out of the alleyway was, without a doubt, a tense one. Realities were clashing, and there was reason for the Barber's resignation and apparent concern for her of even walking alone. She was only sixteen… It was understandable, being under wing and all… All Anya had to distract herself with was making an impression on, probably, the most basic task for any woman of this age. She expected to be dirty by the end of it. She entered the small vendor, seeing an assortment of cheeses, bratwurst and most importantly, crates of empty condensed milk cans on one side of the shop with filled ones on the other that were being stacked into a horse drawn cart up front.
She was greeted by this one crotchety looking woman whom Anya calmly bowed to in greeting.
"Good morning, ma'am."
"Hm. So you are the one the Barber suggested~ a bit scrawny." this lady sized her up.
Anya was a little aghast but kept her face kindly at the woman. "Oh, well… yes, he has been very kind. I assure you, madame, that you won't be disappointed…"
"Oh? Is that so? You are fortunate it was Master Elden putting you forward. You don't look like you worked a day in your life."
"Well. I'll prove to you that I can. Been frugal as of late. I've been a long way is all…"
"Hm, good of the mensch to take you under, to be frank…It seems we all need such hospitality. You best be grateful to him."
It seemed Charlot had his name in this little part of town~ highly beloved it seemed. It made Anya smile.
"Your pay will be twenty pence a day for a are needy of extra hands due to such demand these last few months. Well, come with me to the back, and leave your basket beneath there, no one will take it."
Anya felt a little dizzy at this and swallowed. She did say she already knew to a degree of this trade albeit a lie, but it could not be too much to ask of her besides slouching for a eight hours or so… She followed along and placed her basket under the pay table before she was given an apron.
"We have ten cattle roosted here. We need five gallons by afternoon."
"Oh!" Anya tried to keep her voice straight.
"Five can give us three crates worth. If you are crack handed, it can be done in a couple of hours. This lady here will be yours… Bertha." the woman showed Anya this soft brown cow that munched away at the hay. She looked young and truly adorable but she paid her apparent milker no heed, giving a hefty huff.
"Name is Madame Pinch and you must be Anya Flavershem…"
"Aye, ma'am." Anya nodded with a cat hiding in the rafters, tying the apron around herself. "A pleasure it is…"
There were other women here all plainly taking to their stools and churners, which looked like cream or some sort was leaking out of them. Some gave her apprehensive looks and muttered about and Anya noticed that she was considered 'too pretty', which was begging for judgement since everyone had to work dirty in order to get by. Her skin was fair, her hands held no callouses and not a scrape or scuff on her. Granted, she was only let in because of Charlot. Or else she would probably have been turned away. Anya glanced at the rafters at the Calico and shrugged. The feline swished their tail and climbed away.
It was now or never, and the least she could do was to bring those twenty pennies. She sat beside Bertha, contemplating… There was a bucket directly in the stall.
"I may hope for you to kick me, because I am a full blown idiot…" she whispered to herself. "Please just… don't do it yet~"
Anya winced as she reached forward beneath the cow and felt the udder. It was as heavy as a rock…Positioning the bucket, she began to grasp two teats. Bertha munched away. 'God, I can't believe I'm doing this… I should have chosen fishing or falconry, huh. I'm good at those!' she thought to herself. 'This just felt more… practical… Okay, take one. Squeeze, stretch, repeat…'
Honestly, she had to duck down and see other women do it as soon as she heard milk being sprayed into the buckets. Testing the waters, she squeezed the teat hard and something sprayed out, smacking the stall wall with bright white. Anya had to curl up to keep from laughing.
"Crap! ~ You'll do fine, he said. Don't be nervous, he said~ You'd be rolling right now, guaranteed…" Anya spoke to herself as she began to get a pattern going, squeezing one after the other.
As she began working, Shelly poked in the stall with wide green eyes at Anya which looked too bright for her predictament. Anya narrowed her eyes down to slits at the cat and shook her head. Aiming a teat at the cat, almost viciously, the Calico vanished from the peek hole.
To many millenials like herself, this sort of dirty work was never worth the trouble. No Mag's as they were referred to (a nasty name Anya thought) always were scum for living like this, but what choice was there? To her, this way of life felt more fulfilling than sitting bored at a desk, flipping a wand lazily. The Ministry was always all talk about that kind of stupidity. Lazy, inconsiderate thoughts towards fellow human beings, as it were. Magical or non, they all had a mind, a free will and a heart, all the same. For her, she thought this struggle was worth it… It was something new and it could mean that she could impress the Jeakel's at least, of being of some use to this part of Tomania.
Strenuous work it was though, because in less than an hour's time, Anya's neck and back began to really feel strained. The bucket wasn't even full yet, but she kept going… Above half it was reaching before she found the bucket taken and found an empty one inserted back under Bertha, and she had to repeat the process. This sure gave a lot of time to think on things though… One good thing about work or a profession like this was that no one was constantly over her shoulder talking your ear off or constant expectation to truly please someone without further judgement. Her mind dived back into that mantra of squeezing more milk as it fell upon the magical matter at hand.
Sharing dreams was only possible between two magical people. As far as she has learned about 'dreamscaping' was that there had to be an attachment between individuals in order for dreamscapes to happen… However, that science was a complex one and she was only mulling it all over. Her experiences with Charlot so far all seemed too good to be true, with the people here being ever so considerate as to even giving her a job, all knew him, and that moment at his shop still eerily stuck out. Anya wondered if he was solely deliberate without saying a word? She was told to stay the night, she was given a hard earned meal, and now she had a job, and upon the second day.
Lyra had dreams shared with her Sire, Orpheus… in the exact same manner, which made it even more eery. It required a closeness — a Bond. There was only one Bond capable of that~ of the Ethereal… A reality that was seldom studied due to its subtlety.
Could it be happening here? Was it always a hidden truth…? Was it happening to her, already? Perhaps, it was why she felt so happy here… There was a void in her heart that was welling up.