Chapter 7
Going to Hell in a Bread-Basket
A week had passed and Tama's persistence, which Norah had to agree, was very impressive. The baker would've commended her for such dedication if she didn't feel anything else but smoldering hatred towards her. Why couldn't something happen to Tama that drew her attention away? At least it would give her a reprieve from her constant inquiry if she would accept the cup-bearer position or not. On the other side of the line, in Norah's defense, it was clear that the older woman's trait of persistence carried over to Bao as well. He was the opposite — pleading with her to ignore his mother's request —and as a result, she found herself trapped in the middle between mother and son; both of them growing as equally as vexing as the other.
It was painfully obvious to her that Bao obviously knew something that she didn't, and for the first time, she found herself starting to mistrust him. All that he would say was that Tama wanted her in the position for a good reason and while she could sense that he had his suspicions, he still wouldn't share them despite her trying to coax it from him.
The girl started to think it was because it had something to do with Bao being as frightened of his mother as Norah was. Tama had demonstrated quite clearly that she had the capabilities to ruin the life of anyone she chose— Norah had discovered that firsthand— so who was to say she would not hesitate to do so to her son? If not already.
Over the past week, Norah also couldn't get rid of the suspicion that Tama had done something to Bao. Something dark kept locked in the past between them that caused the younger man to not put forth as much effort as she wanted and thought he would have. Despite how much Bao showed her in the right direction, there was something that Tama had captive on him. Whatever that may be, would remain in secrecy.
The baker opened and locked the door behind her as she entered her room, a lit candle on a candlestick that Bert had given her first week in her hand. Immediately she stopped short when she saw the pile of clothes on the cot that was certainly not there this morning.
The first thing she noticed was the color of the materials were the same deep, rich purple that Bao wore, and that was enough to set her nerves on fire with anger. Norah chewed her lip as the realization came to her that Tama must have had a key to her room and had placed them purposely for her to find.
The older woman may have refused to budge on making her a cup-bearer, but Norah was as equally as stubborn as well.
Tama would have to do much better than that.
She heard a knock at the door and turned to open it with a scowl, dreading that it might be her employer on the other end to aggravate her further. Much to her relief, however, it was just Carver.
"Hey, just a head's up," he began, looking down the corridor apprehensively. "Something went missing from Tama's room and she is sending a guard down here to inspect our rooms. If you got any dirty magazines hide them now."
Norah smiled her thanks for his warning: "What is it that they are looking for?"
The cook shrugged, "A bracelet I think."
He looked past her shoulder, noticed the pile of clothing on her cot and frowned: "She won't give up will she?"
The corner of her mouth tugged to the side, "No."
Both employees suddenly heard footsteps around the corner and turned their heads in the direction of the sound, holding their breaths. Carver looked at Norah and once again looked over her shoulder in her room. "I'll hang out with you, so they don't give you a hard time. They can be dicks— especially with girls."
At first she thought she didn't need his protection, but she heard the layer of seriousness in his voice that rarely came from him, so instead she nodded and stepped aside to let him into her room.
Carver sat on the cot, and without permission, began to fiddle through the pile of purple clothing that Tama had given her. Norah rose and eyebrow at the Earthrealmer while she kept the door open; there was no reason to close it with the guard close by, and rather get it over with as quickly was possible.
"You have told her no right?" the male cook asked when he looked up to see Norah's annoyed expression at his rhetorical question, causing him to chuckle a little. He picked up the first garment, and when Norah saw it, she immediately hated it.
It was a simple purple blouse with tight 3/4 quarter sleeves and a deep V-shaped cut in the front, but what annoyed her the most about it was that it had little fabric to cover her stomach. Although quite modest for most Outworld fashion, she preferred garments that covered her.
"Gonna belly dance for the Kahn?" Carver teased with a smirk when he saw Norah's horrified look. The baker shot him a glare before she felt herself pushed harshly out of the way as a guard came into her room.
The skull-painted guard surveyed the tiny room, looking past the two occupants for the stolen item before he shoved Carver away from the pile of clothing, and signaled him to stand by the door with Norah. The guard looked through her folded clothes on the table until he turned his attention to the cot and started to rummage roughly through it as well as her bedding.
Carver, now at Norah's side, crossed his arms over his chest with the same identical and resentful frown that she had. He gave her a pointed look before rolling a single eye into his skull and silently mouthing something indignant at the guard. Norah stifled a giggle as the guard looked through the cup-bearer garments, unintentionally revealing more of the ensemble that included a long purple skirt of the same color and a teal beaded bib necklace with four strands.
Bao typically wore a teal scarf around his hips as a belt, and when she noticed that the guard didn't care for it, she assumed it was part of the uniform. Although when Carver and Norah saw the gold cuffed bracelet clatter to the ground, both of their eyes widened in alarm. The expensive piece of jewelry was surely not part of the uniform.
The guard grabbed the cuff from the ground and marched towards Norah before Carver could block himself in front of her. He treated the Earthrealmer as if he was a ghost, bypassing him to grab her roughly by her arm and drag her painfully out of the room.
"Wait! I did not do this!" Norah cried, her voice high with panic to the guard. She cringed slightly as he pulled her with little effort. Carver followed closely behind them, also yelling to the guard in her defense that she did not steal the cuff. But the guard was unrelenting, and clearly their pleas fell on deaf ears.
As they turned the corner and saw who was walking briskly towards them, both Carver and Norah knew exactly how and why the cuff had been in Norah's room specifically.
"I am very sorry for all the trouble," Tama interjected, as she came towards the guard, causing him to come to a halt as her eyes landed on the gold bracelet and then back to the baker. Norah glared in contempt at the small smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth before turning to the guard with a false apologetic disposition.
"I just recalled that I had put the cuff on the pile of clothes that I had given her. It must have snuck within the clothing without my knowledge. I apologize for bothering you— there is no harm done here."
The younger Outworlder looked at the guard who appeared annoyed by Tama's words, but accepted the explanation. He let go of the baker with a slight shove before giving the gold cuff back to Tama before disappearing. The elder woman looked behind her shoulder to make sure the guard was far enough away before turning back to them.
"You're a stone, cold bitch... bitch," Carver fumed with a shake of his head.
Tama looked at him with a blank expression before she turned back to Norah who regarded her with pure contempt. Tama's trick had been very easily translated, her motives very clear. Stealing was a very serious offense— especially if it was a servant that stole from an employer— and if Tama had not said anything, Norah would have no doubt of been executed. This was a warning, and it had been heard loud and clear, especially after what the older woman said next.
"I left your new clothes in your room for you. They will fit you do not worry," she informed nonchalantly, as if she was merely discussing the weather. A new wave of anger crash upon her, and it took all of her patience not to rush towards the odious woman and pull out her hair until she was left bald.
"I will have Bao speak with your tomorrow about what to expect. Make sure you give yourself enough time to finish your bread for the evening meals and to dress," Tama continued with a small nod.
She turned to Carver, who looked absolutely annoyed by his employer's arrogantly calm tone and demeanor.
"Give her a small grooming if you will like you do with the others," Tama commanded simply, "She still looks too ragged for serving the Kahn."
Before an offensive comment could fall from the baker's mouth, she noticed the corner of Carver's mouth twitched up in indignation, "Yes ma'am. Anything else unnecessarily rude you wanna say in front of her?" he replied sharply.
The baker gave the male cook a small appreciative look that he nodded minutely at before they returned their glares back at Tama, who shrugged lightly, her eyes flickering between the two of them before she turned away.
"I am pleased that you are both friends. Always nice thing to see my workers getting along so well," she remarked with a condescending tone.
Tama disappeared after that, walking down the hall with the gold cuff shimmering from the torch lights in her hand. As soon as she was gone, Norah heard Carver say bitterly under his breath: "God I hate that woman."
Norah let out a breathy, congruent laugh at his comment, relaying she felt the same before she felt Carver put a friendly hand on her shoulder that grabbed her attention.
"You alright?" Carver asked with concern.
"Yes," the girl acknowledged before giving him an unconvincing smile, trying to hide that she was shaken. "Thank you for your help."
Carver's hand lifted from her shoulder before he waved it through the air, "It's all good. You are not the only one that Tama has fucked over. She gets a kick outta making all of us miserable."
"I wish it was just me. I cannot imagine what she has done to you all," Norah remaked with a frown.
He shrugged, "She's just a bitch to Bert and me. Abigail, though... she's had it rough."
"What has she done to Abigail?" Norah asked with a sigh heavy of dread; she could only imagine what his answer would be.
"Wish I could tell you. Bao doesn't like to talk about it, but the little I got from him was there was a reason Tama took out her tongue," the Earthrealmer answered with a solemn look.
Norah nodded, his words sinking in. She had honestly suspected something like what Carver had described about Abigail's situation and the more and more Norah remained under Tama's thumb, she wondered when she would have her tongue taken out as well.
"I will say one thing, though, Tama is right— you need a haircut," he said, almost looking as if he was regretting that he agreed with Tama.
Norah frowned at him and grasped her long hair, giving him a hesistantl look like it was her own baby he wanted to inflict harm on. Carver laughed and pointed to her eyebrows, wiggling his finger at bother of them back and forth.
"And your eyebrows are more crooked than a politician," Carver said with a lop-sided grin. "What'd you do? Use the door handle as a mirror?"
Norah huffed; so what if she had: "What is this strange obsession with my looks? Do I look so hideous?"
"No, Norah, you're a beautiful unicorn just the way you are," Carver snarked with the roll of his eyes. "But I know there's a prettier lady behind all that sulking and tangled hair."
"I do not sulk!" Norah exclaimed.
The cook rolled his eyes again, "Completely oblivious to compliments are we? And yes, you do sulk."
Norah crossed her arms over her chest, a distempered frown on her face as Carver's face pulled into an over-dramatic saddened fashion and pantomimed kneading dough.
"My name's Norah and I'm only from Outworld. Don't talk to me I'm making bread. I make bread all day"— he sulked even harder and pantomimed slamming the oven door closed hard— " Boo Hoo Hoo. The Cowboy was mean to me..."
Carver dropped the act when he saw Norah's face twist into hatred immediately at the nickname he used for Erron Black.
He responded by hesitantly pulling the corner of his mouth into a grimace: "Sorry. Forget that was a subject you don't like. What is up with that anyway? He do something to you? It's pretty obvious you two know each other."
Norah sighed angrily, debating what to tell him until he cut her off and said: "How about I give you a haircut, and you can decide whether you want to tell me about it or not?"
"I do not want my hair cut Carver," she firmly told him.
"You're getting one. You need it bad," he told her with a humored grimace, "You look like Cousin It."
"I have no idea who that is," the female Outworlder replied plainly. "And you are not cutting my hair."
He laughed and shrugged with a smile, "Too bad. Tama's orders anyway."
Norah gave him a hard look as he suddenly grasped her lightly by the hand and pulled her along. Despite her objection, she decided to let him do whatever calamity to her looks he had in mind. She knew that Carver would not leave her alone regardless and from what she had heard from Bao it was some initiation from Carver that he accepted the victim into his inner circle. Bao, Bert and Abigail were the only ones he helped groom and Norah smiled lightly when she realized that he was using Tama's orders as an excuse. The cook was letting her know he accepted her as a friend and in a place like Outworld, you needed all the friends you could get.
She was just fearful about what the eccentric Earthrealmer had in mind.
After stopping by his room to grab his grooming materials, Carver sat her outside on the steps by the kitchen door with her back to him on the lower step and himself on the higher one.
"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Norah asked, still apprehensive.
"I'm more than qualified trust me," he promised, "My momma taught me well."
"Your mother taught you how to cut hair?" she asked with a confused raise of her eyebrow, "Is that a profession in Earthrealm?"
"Yup and she was good at it," the chef told her with a prideful tone. "She owned a beauty salon back on the island. Nothing spectacular but we had ladies and gentlemen of all hair varieties come in. Paradise Hair was the name of the place," — Norah heard him laugh softly— "I practically grew up in that stuffy little salon office. Got my first shave there and gave my first shave to one of the regulars."
She noticed a layer of sadness creep into his voice he tried to hide but failed, "Before I came to Outworld, I picked up a few lessons to help her out on the days she couldn't come in. It's hard to come into work in a place that deals with hair 24/7 when you don't have any left. It took a toll on her even though she did her best to hide it. She was a kind lady who you would have loved. She could get along with anyone."
Norah felt a pang of sadness at his words before he continued, "Well, anyway she passed away and I couldn't keep that place open. I moved to L.A after that but tell you the truth kinda wish I stayed on the island. Especially after coming here."
"I am so sorry about your mother," Norah lamented, glancing over her shoulder slightly. Carver frowned for a moment before he replaced it quickly with a smile.
"Thank's Norah." Carver grasped her head and turned her away from him. "Hold still. Eyes forward."
The younger servant followed his instruction and felt her hands grow clammy when she heard something snip and felt her hair shift slightly from behind her back.
"Hold this," Carver told her, reaching over her side and handing her something. When she felt what it was and looked upon it, her jaw dropped. She held a good four inches of hair in her hand. Immediately her other hand reached around to grab what was left of the hair she had left and discovered that it came just passed her chest. She never in her entire life had hair this short!
"Carver!"
"Don't give me that— it's all dead anyway. You could have stuffed scarecrows with it., and besides, I bet you head feels lighter. You got stringy hair but there's a lot of it," Carver said before he stood up and went around her until she was face to face with him. He didn't seem to notice her unhappy look, or just blatantly ignored it, and began to grab at the hair that hung closest to her face, the scissors still in his hand.
"Tell me about you and Black," he asked while he continued to remain lost in his thoughts. "Why do you want to stab each other?"
Norah exhaled, her memory flashing across her mind bitterly and causing her to scoff slightly under her breath. "He brought me here."
Carver gave her a dubious look, "That's it? He brought you here that's why you hate him? Hold still, this might feel a little weird."
She was about to interject, but he had already opened his scissors and using the sharpened end, cut through her hair diagonally like he was slicing paper. Norah did cringe at the feel, it felt like he was tugging at the strands individually although she felt no pain from it.
Norah felt her shortest of her hair hit the side of her jaw and she brushed it away by blowing air out the corner of her mouth. The rest of her hair looked liked it tapered, almost layering over each as it made it's other it's way down off the closer it got to the end. She felt slightly irked that he had cut so much. Before she could complain, he did the same thing on the opposite side of her face.
Norah felt him run his hands through her new cut hair and gave it a slight shake. Carver smiled at her appearance despite Norah feeling incredibly apprehensive about how it looked.
The cook dug in his bag for a small mirror and held it up to her and she found herself pleasantly surprised at what she saw. Instead of a massive curtain of hair the same length, her dark wavy hair framed her face more nicely and the smaller pieces brought more attention to her face. She felt it made her face look prettier as a result; a word she never used to describe herself before even though the baker felt the length was too short. The awkward girl smiled at her appearance nonetheless; pleased that it wasn't as horrible as she thought it would be even though it would be something of an adjustment.
Carver seemed pleased by her reaction and smiled, "Should I leave you and the mirror alone for a while?" He wiggled his eyebrows slightly and Norah frowned at him in response, though a ghost of a smile refused to budge from her face.
He brushed it off and said: "I restrained myself too. I figure you would punch me if I went any shorter."
She nodded in appreciation as he handed her the mirror for her to have a closer look at while he dug for the tweezers in his grooming bag.
Norah heard him sigh slightly and she looked up to meet his look: "If you don't wanna chit-chat about Black I won't push it, but if it means anything, I'm glad you're here even if you don't want to be. I know Bert likes you too, and I'm sure Bao and Abbie—"
"Carver... thank you," she interrupted softly, smiling warmly at him before she swallowed nervously. He had opened up to her about his mother when he didn't have to and frankly, it was nice to have someone she could trust that she felt would take her side of the story. However, Carver was still rather new to her, so she only told him the condensed version she felt comfortable sharing.
"Black forced a deal with me that included me bringing him deliveries. My father and I... we had trouble paying what was owed to the men that we rented the tavern from. On the day my father died, Black was in a position to help and he did nothing. I lost everything. Eventually, Erron Black was the one that brought me here because Tama had paid him to do so."
"I'm sorry about your father," he told her sympathetically.
Norah kept still, her teeth clamped tightly before she continued, "Erron Black has been nothing but cruel to me and I was hoping Tama would not have forced me to become a cup-bearer. Now I will have to see him every night."
"Maybe you can poison him if he gives you a hard time," Carver jested, and she let out a breathy laugh even though it did little to improve her mood.
"It'll be ok, Norah. If Erron Black gives you any more trouble, send him to me and I'll deal with him... or Bert, better yet send him to Bert," Carver joked. Norah tried to find the humor in his words, but she instead found herself sighing, anxious about what to expect tomorrow night.
Carver pulled out the tweezers and snapped the ends together a couple of times in a teasing but threatening manner. Norah's mismatched eyebrows pulled together in concern.
"Alright, enough about Yosemite Sam. Let's fix those caterpillars."
The next day, a couple of hours before he would have to go to his duties for the evening meal, Bao had finished talking to Bert and had found out what his mother had done to Norah to convince her to accept the job. After that, Bao had left the kitchen and went to his mother's room, banging on the door with three hard thuds; completely furious. When his mother opened the door, an enraged scowl formed on his face at his mother's pleasant demeanor.
"What in all the realms is wrong with you?" he demanded angrily. His mother answered him with a smile and it just aggravated him even more.
"Are you worried about The Marking? Is that why you are so livid with me?" she asked him, acting purposely obtuse. Her son's temper boiled over and threatened to spill like lava on the rim of a volcano, but instead he heard himself exhaling out of his nose in anger.
"No... Mother, I am sure you have found some strategy to counter that," Bao growled through his teeth.
"You are right. I have," Tama responded blasely before she frowned slightly, "But unfortunately, Norah still holds her fate in her hands. I have just removed certain obstacles that will ensure she makes it through most of The Marking somewhat intact."
"No of course you would not lessen her torment even though she has done nothing to you!" he shouted, his fists gripped tight in anger.
"It was not intentional to cause her so much torment, but I did manage to remove some of the burdens she will face," The older woman said with a deep frown. "Perhaps you should be a bit more gracious. It did not come without a steep price."
Bao scoffed, "Yes I am sure it was at a high cost for you. I am sorry to hear that you found yourself at such an inconvenience. Who was it you had to spread your legs for this time?"
Tama's face darkened into a cross expression, "You are not old enough for me to no longer still lay my hands on. Talk to me in such a manner again and I will make your teeth rattle from my hand striking across your face!"
He shook his head at her remark and turned to walk away but heard his mother behind him: "Please assist Norah as much as you can. I would hate to have my money wasted because she could not pass The Marking. Although I have no doubt she is strong enough, please do watch over our little false Outworlder. You are good at such things; perhaps they should proclaim you new Protector of Earthrea—"
"Enough!"
Tama stopped when the word left his mouth, silencing her from the sheer intensity of his anger and the scornful expression he flashed her with before he turned back and walked away.
Bao stormed in the direction of the kitchen, his mother's voice still ringing in his ears and causing his stride to quicken as a result. The woman was a plague among them. Why was she doing this? Couldn't the past be left to wither and die in the past like it should have? Why was he given such a mother who wanted nothing else but to ruin the lives of people that just wanted peace?
He sighed when he finally reached the door of the kitchen, a regretful feeling settling deep within him that he was playing a small, unwilling role in his mother's schemes. He opened the door to find Bert, Carver and Abigail finishing up their duties and frowned when he failed to see Norah but saw her bread cooling on the table.
"She's changing into her new uniform," Bert answered, giving the younger man a pointed dour look.
"It was never my idea to have Norah as a cup-bearer," Bao said with a slightly defensive tone, still heated from his argument with his mother. Bert didn't comment, but Bao heard Carver snort loudly at his statement.
"Be quiet, Carver," Bao retaliated weakly.
"You know what you need to do?" Carver confronted, his brown eyes bugged wide in anger at him. "You need to stop being such a chicken-shit and stand up to your mother for once."
"My mother will not listen to me. She is unrelenting!"
"She's also the biggest bitch in all of Outworld," he concluded with a pointed look. "And I've met some pretty bitchy people here."
Bao bit his tongue, refusing to say something he might regret and instead opted for casting his glance at the bread cooling down on the table and exhaling.
There was nothing he could do at this point now...
It wasn't long until Norah walked back through the door, and Bao's eyes widened at the entirely new person he saw before him.
Her appearance was different from the baker he had seen yesterday; she was far more polished and looked more like an Earthrealmer than she had did before. Her eyebrows were trimmed, shaped and unlike her previous effort, matched. Her dark wavy hair that was usually hidden underneath a white scarf or tied up fell past her chest delicately, and the shorter wisps of hair framed her face, drawing more attention then she seemed to desire.
Bao immediately frowned at the uniform she was wearing, knowing beforehand that Norah only preferred loose fitting garments that covered her and her uniform was anything but shapeless. The top was cut low, revealing much of her cleavage but still provided enough coverage for her breasts while the material stopped just above her navel. It also showed her flat stomach and tapered waist that rounded out into womanly hips. She wore a long purple skirt that looked like it needed to be hemmed desperately as Tama's son watched her feet tangle into the material bunching on the floor. It matched the top and it situated just below her navel as well with a purple tie to keep the material from falling.
She clutched nervously at the teal beaded bib necklace as if the jewelry was choking her as all of their eyes fell on her. Bao saw her cheeks grow red from embarrassment; clearly uncomfortable being the center of attention and cleared her throat as she looked to the stone floor of the kitchen.
"I. Hate. This," she said sourly, her tone clearly displeased. The male cooks chuckled lightly from where they stood, still preparing the meals.
"You look good kid; you don't have to worry," Bert told her genuinely.
"Ya, Norah you clean up good for a girl," Carver jabbed slightly.
Norah shot him an annoyed look and frowned when she saw Abigail give her grimace on her behalf and turned her attention back to the pots. Norah looked at him for an explanation, but he shook his head and walked up to her.
"Are you ready?" he asked.
"No. I am not ready," she answered honestly. Bao heard Carver bark a laugh at her answer from behind him.
Instead, the male cup-bearer nodded and motioned his hand towards the door, letting Norah walk through it first before he took the lead. He noticed she was having trouble keeping up and turned his head lightly over his shoulder to see her grabbing at her skirt, lifting it slightly, so her feet didn't trip over the fabric. After that, she caught up to him and they walked in silence down the corridors.
As Bao walked her down the corridors, he began to tell her what to expect, and she listened silently, nodding her head every so often in acknowledgement.
"There will be two sets of pitchers for you to use on a table by your station: one for water and one for wine. You will know which one to fill by the goblet they hold up for you. Everyone is different with how they will let you know if they need their cup refilled or not. Ferra will definitely let you know. Usually, she is loud about what she needs but do not get offended by her. Erron Black is harder to read so you will have to pay attention to how he signals you."
The baker frowned hard and Bao sighed, hoping that the dinner would not go as horrible as he was expecting it to, but by Norah's reaction alone, he had a terrible feeling he was assuming correctly that it would.
"You are to speak when spoken to and you are not to make eye contact unless they ask you a question," he told her sternly, making sure she heeded his words.
"Keep your emotions under control, Norah. If they see any flicker of resentment they will notice. You serve them when they need it and you will remain against the wall as if you do not exist until they need their cup filled again."
They finally reached a large, heavy wooden door with intricate gold metal around the trim and Bao took the opportunity to stop her before they went in to give her the most vital piece of information.
"Norah, under no circumstances— life or death— do you reveal to anyone the conversations that go on behind this door. This position is dangerous because of what we can overhear, and we are to remain mute about what they talk about," the male cupbearer told her seriously.
She nodded slightly, "I understand."
He didn't feel convinced by her absent acceptance and grabbed her by the shoulders lightly, his eyes boring into hers strongly and causing her eyes to widen under the weight of his powerful and worried expression.
"Norah. Do not breathe one word of what they say. No matter what they threaten you with. No matter what they do to you. You choose death instead of revealing what they discuss. Do you understand my words?"
She shrunk back, blinking at him before her face fell into a look of deep thought, absorbing what he said and making Bao feel that he had finally reached her.
"Bao. I will not say a word," Norah promised earnestly. Bao breathed a sigh of relief and released her shoulders. He noticed her brows bridge together in thought, pondering his words and why he had been severe with them. He opened the door and allowed her inside first before he closed it behind him.
The male Outworlder let her have a moment to absorb her surroundings. There was a large, dark wooden dining table already set for dinner with a large, red cushioned and gold trimmed chair for the Kahn to sit in at the end. There were also other chairs around the table for his guards that were not as overwhelming ornate as the throne.
Her eyes followed around, noticing the tables placed around the outside of the table alongside the wall with the two copper colored pitchers on both. One for her side, one for his side and one against the wall behind the Kahn's chair. The room was windowless but still had held two red abstract tapestries against the wall, one at the very end and one behind the Emperor's chair. From Norah's expression, he could tell that she was expecting something grander in mind.
"This is where they prefer to eat due to the quietness and the Kahn only chooses to dine in the Main Hall when there is a feast taking place," the male cupbearer informed her. She nodded quietly in response as he touched her shoulder lightly and guided her around the table, placing her by the table with the pitchers that were opposite his side. Grabbing her shoulders lightly, he pushed her into position, her back to the wall, and then reached over to grab the water pitcher. He held it up for her to hold which she took, holding the handle in her hand with the pitcher faced out in front of her.
He shook his head and moved her hands until she had the pitcher's handle off to the side while placed her other hand underneath to cup under the pitcher; the pitcher placed against her chest. There were already goblets on the table and Bao took the ones for Erron Black and showed them to her. They were identical except for the shape and Norah's eyes flickered between them trying to decipher which was for what beverage.
He lifted the wider of the two and showed it to her, "Water"— Bao lowered it and raised up the narrower— "Wine."
Norah nodded, memorizing the cups before he sat them down and walked to the chair that was left of her. "This is where Ferra will sit and Black will sit on the end."
"What about Torr?" she asked, "I thought I would be serving both Ferra and Torr?"
He grimaced, "You still are, but Torr is an unusual circumstance that will have to wait until after dinner."
"I don't understand," Norah admitted with a slight shake of her head.
"You will. I will help you with that as well," Bao briefed. She noticed he frowned slightly for a moment as if recalling something. Norah nodded apprehensively but didn't argue or call attention to the look he gave her.
Norah jumped slightly when the door to the room suddenly opened and a massive and imposing figure walked through the door. Bao chuckled when he saw how confused she was; he had the same reaction when he first met him.
The man was a massive tower of muscle that hid under the uniform of dark purple, teal and black he wore, making Bao look something of a stick in his attire. He had an intricate bowl cut of jet black hair and piercing white eyes that looked at Norah quizzically, almost not expecting to see a woman as the replacement for the position. He was Osh-Tekk as well but the one aspect that was the most important, one that caused Norah to panic with confusion, was he was a doppelganger of the Emperor himself; although he did not wear the green and blue body paint the Kahn usually did.
Bao laughed slightly and nodded towards the Osh-Tekk, "This is Matlal. He is the cupbearer for the Kahn. He also serves other purposes that I am sure you can figure out by just his appearance."
After the initial shock of thinking it was the Kahn himself, Norah nodded in his direction with a benevolent smile. Matlal frowned, seeming displeased with her and took his position behind the throne without returning her gesture.
Her eyes narrowed in his direction, but she didn't say anything. Soon after the introductions, servants came in with Carver and Bert's meals that they had prepared as well as her bread that they placed in the middle of the table. The male servant motioned her to take a position against the wall that she did immediately, holding the water pitcher like he had shown her. Bao noticed her exhale a shaky breath, naturally nervous, and he gave her a small, comforting smile in her direction.
After the servants had left, the meals at their designated places, the Kahn's guards started to trickle in one by one.
Ermac was the first to appear, opening the door telekinetically and sitting down in silence. He didn't regard Norah and stared straight ahead, almost as if he was lost in the silent conversation between the thousands of souls within him. Bao noticed she seemed very wary of him, but she was making an effort not to let it show by looking at a spot behind Bao's shoulder.
Reptile walked in soon after that, took a glance at Norah and scoffed loudly before he sat down, waiting impatiently for the others to show. Bao looked at Norah, her eyes glued more intently on the spot on the wall and not on the Zaterran who she seemed uncomfortable by.
Ferra was the next take her seat, and she was the first of the guards to acknowledge Norah.
"Bread-lady!" was all the Ferra said as she took her seat, her legs swinging over the side as she looked at Norah. She smiled at the girl and looked at the spot at the wall again, trying to disappear as much as she could like Bao had instructed. The symbiote continued to look at her, and Bao could see the hesitance creep up into her face under Ferra's gaze before the last of the Kahn's guards walked through the door and changed the atmosphere completely.
Bao noticed that it took Erron Black a couple of seconds to recognize that it was Norah but as soon as he did, his eyes narrowed unwelcomely in her direction; simultaneously flabbergasted and irritated that she was there against the wall behind where he normally sat. Bao could see that she refused look at him but felt his stare on her. The male cupbearer watched her jaw tighten, the muscle ribboning under her skin before disappearing, before it seemed she couldn't resist, and looked in his direction finally.
He noticed the gunslinger's hands hover to rest of the handles of his pistols as he sauntered over to his side of the table, his footsteps echoing slow against the stone floor. Their mutual hatred towards each other didn't go unnoticed, and it had caught the attention of everyone that watched silently.
Bao saw Norah's chest rise and fall in anger the closer he got, and finally met his expression with as much ire as he conveyed. He could feel the tension between the two as Black looked down at her for a few moments before grabbing the chair behind him and pulled it towards him without looking behind him.
The chair let out a groan as it slid across the stone and Bao couldn't help but cringe lightly as it rang in his ears harshly. He paused for a second, giving her one last scathing look and sat down in his chair and pulled it in. He leaned against the back with an arm draped across the top of it while the fingers on his other hand drummed against the surface of the table.
Norah's eyes stayed narrowed at the back of his head until Kotal Kahn finally came through the door and took his seat although the suffocating tension was still present between Norah and Black.
Bao sighed.
It was going to be a long dinner.
Norah knew it was going to be a long dinner as soon as she saw Erron Black come through the door.
She had honestly tried her best to ignore him, however, as soon as her eyes locked with his, she saw nothing but the reason she was even standing in the palace and her unbearable hatred for him returned to her like a dark stain on her mood.
Norah noticed he did not even seem to recognize her at first since the last time they had seen each other in the hall. But, as soon as he did, he narrowed his eyes as venomously at her as she did. She felt her hand grip the handle of the pitcher uncomfortably, almost painfully, as he walked over to her blatantly slowly; as if he was making sure his footsteps echoed loudly against the stone.
Eventually he stopped right in front of her, and she glared up at him. His blue eyes grazed over her with a stormy disposition, almost questioning her silently as to why she was here in front of him; challenging her to confront him. She was a head shorter than him and she could barely make out the brim of his hat above her head as he raked his eyes over her attire. He looked back to her face with a small mocking grin tugging out the corner of his mouth.
Black didn't have his face mask on and she could make out the small amount of stubble on his strong, square jaw. Norah also noticed that his face was slightly lighter than other parts of his face; tan lines from his mask that he wore almost always. She could also make out the small scar that ran across his nose, probably from being broken at some point, or knowing him, multiple times. Funny, as he continued to glare at her, she also felt the strong desire to break his nose.
She heard him let out a small 'hmph' under his breath, as if he was scoffing her, and pulled the chair from behind him without breaking off his heated stare. She cringed inwardly as he purposely dragged it loudly across the stone floor as if trying to elicit some reaction from her but she only responded by flickering her eyes off to the side as if he didn't exist. Black didn't respond in turn, only staring resentfully at her before he took his seat. She couldn't stop herself from staring at the back of his head with complete hatred as he sat relaxed with his back to her and arrogantly drummed his fingers on the table.
He only straightened up when the Kahn walked through the door and it was enough of a distraction for her to forget minutely about her moment with the mercenary. Still, it wasn't enough, as Norah still felt anger clutch at her chest like a heavy stone on her ribs, making it hard to concentrate on anything else. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the blue form of the Emperor that sat in the chair, regarded her briefly and turned his attention towards his bodyguards. He nodded slightly; allowing them permission to eat.
Norah saw as the guards pushed their water goblets absently to the side, as if this was the routine as they dug into their meals. Norah watched as Bao and Matlal came forward and filled the goblets that had been pushed off to the side for them.
She noticed that Ermac and Erron were the only ones that did not do so. The baker copied the others and filled Ferra's goblet with water quickly before returning to her position against the wall shortly after Bao and Matlal did. Norah glanced at Erron, who kept his eyes forward, his finger tapping slightly by his plate.
"Anything of interest to report from the Kuatan Jungle?" The Emperor's deep voice cut it, addressing the Zaterran that was ripping apart the small chunk of meat in front of him savagely.
Norah thought she felt bile creep up in her throat as she watched him but swallowed it down quickly. She looked elsewhere and decided to keep her eyes fixed on Ferra in case she needed anything else, she doubted Erron would ask for water from her for a while even though he started to eat. Norah hoped he choked on his food at some point so she could avoid having to serve him anything.
"None," Reptile hissed as he chewed loudly, glancing in Ermac's direction briefly, "The trail has run cold. The Edenians are nowhere in the jungle."
The construct seemed somewhat annoyed by the Zaterran's news and shot a look in his direction, "Our information is precise. The Edenians still linger in the Kuatan Jungle."
Reptile's lips curled in a snarl, "Then find them yourself! I say they are not."
"You search with laziness," Ermac commented passively. "We have noticed."
Reptile slammed a fist down, causing his plate to jump slightly and making Norah flinch. "Then you search for them! Stray away from your aqueducts for a day if you can muster such a feat!"
"Enough. Syzoth, you will continue your search in the jungle for the Edenians," Kotal Kahn ordered, silencing both of the guards. Reptile grimaced but nodded his head in compliance at the Kahn request. Norah noticed Matlal giving her a hard look in her direction, and she looked at him briefly before looking at the back of Ferra's head.
Silence drifted between the room again, only the sound of cutlery scraping against the plate as they ate in silence. Norah noticed her bread go untouched in the middle of the table until Kotal Kahn made a reach for the plate, but Ferra had snatched the rim of the plate before he had even reached halfway across the table for it.
Kotal Kahn raised an eyebrow at the smaller girl, comically reprimanding her with a single eyebrow raised. Ferra didn't seem to notice his annoyed, but still somewhat amused expression, as she disregarded the bread knife and tore out a large section out of the bread; leaving a small bit mangled on the bread plate.
Ferra was about to shove the torn off loaf in her mouth when she noticed the Emperor looking at her and nodded his head slightly in her direction. She sighed as if in defeat and reached for the smaller loaf and switched it on the bread plate. The Emperor grabbed the bread plate and pulled it towards him while Ferra chewed on the smaller portion with her elbow propped against the table and her chin resting in her hand with a pout.
Erron Black noticed Ferra's saddened look as she chewed slowly on the bread she was given and looked briefly in Norah direction with almost a slight sneer: "Quit your whining, Ferra. Bread doesn't taste that good."
The baker's hand tightened around the handle of the pitcher, her knuckles turning white as she flashed the back of gunslinger's head with an angry look. It was a low, purposeful remark for her and it only made it worse when he suddenly pushed the empty water goblet to the side with a flick of his hand, causing the goblet to teeter slightly.
She breathed in deeply, trying her very best not to show that she was angered by the gesture. She walked forward with a stern face, but her eyes betrayed her and Bao gave her a sharp look, reminding her to gain a hold of herself.
She exhaled quietly and calmed herself as quickly as she could, although inside she was boiling with rage. She walked forward with a blank expression, just about to pour the water when she felt her foot stumble upon the bundled up fabric of the skirt that was too long.
Norah held the pitcher above her head instinctively as she fell forward. It did little to help her, as she felt the underside of her jaw connect with the edge of the table with a dull thud. It sent a thunderbolt of pain through her as she hit the floor and Ferra cackled loudly at her; the small girl almost falling out of her own chair.
With the pitcher held over her head, she opened her mouth and twisted her eyes shut as if she was silently screaming in pain under the table. Her hand clutched at her jaw before she shot to her feet and plastered on a deadpan expression as fast as she could and poured water in Black's goblet. Her hand went back to her side as if nothing at all had happened, but her eyes threatened to brim over with tears of pain that she blinked back.
Ferra's laugh tapered off as soon as she had gotten up and Norah kept her eyes to the goblet. Her jaw throbbed in pain and she could feel every pair of eyes fixed in her direction including the mercenary to her side. Black had a raised eyebrow at her before he rolled his eyes and slid the goblet back towards him after she was done.
Norah took her place against the wall again, only then drinking in their reactions to her clumsiness. She looked across the table to see Reptile looking at her as if she was a complete imbecile and scoffed. Meanwhile, Bao had his hands over his eyes as if in embarrassment for her before he dragged the same hand over his face and sighed softly.
She rubbed her jaw with her hand, massaging it slightly as Kotal Kahn shook his head and pushed aside her moment. For the remainder of the dinner, they discussed the last of the Tarkatan rebel forces and if there was any news on their whereabouts.
As they talked, the baker could feel a bruise forming on her jaw as she continued to wait for Ferra or Black to signal her. Meanwhile, Norah occupied herself and ran scenarios through her head, completely ignoring the conversation about what the Kahn was discussing and instead found herself daydreaming about all the horrendous ways Black and Tama could die horribly in her mind. Usually, such morbid thoughts were more befitting of children who threw temper tantrums but a small smile came to her face as she thought of nothing else. She grinned widely as she pictured setting that ridiculous hat he wore on his head on fire, but caught Bao mouthing at her to 'stop it' before she resumed a placid demeanor.
Ferra waved her goblet at her, and she filled it immediately; growing a tad more comfortable serving her as the discussion dragged on.
Every so often Reptile would interrupt and tell the Kotal Kahn something that he either nodded at or waved off. Ferra didn't say much that pertained to the topic— usually it was about who Torr and Ferra killed that day— and Ermac only spoke when he felt the information was wrong. Erron didn't say anything, and Norah knew it was because he hated being around her as much as she did. Otherwise, she figured he would of at least said something. She also noticed due to her presence, he didn't ask for another refill even though his goblet was dry, and she watched him swallow every so often as if trying to wet his throat.
Good. She hoped he died of dehydration by the time the meal was over.
Eventually, the meal did end and the Emperor was the first to leave. Matlal followed right behind him, and as the Emperor rose from the table, the guards did as well as a show of respect and took their seats once more as he left. As soon as the door closed, Ermac followed behind; his plate cold and untouched. Reptile left as soon as he finished pulling apart the meat and stormed out as well, seemingly full and satisfied.
Ferra surprised Norah as she jumped from her chair and came up to her.
"Torr want not-sweet bread too— you make as well!" She demanded, jabbing a finger in her direction. Norah nodded her head in compliance, a worried expression on her face before Ferra nodded and ran off.
Leaving Bao, Norah and Erron Black alone.
The silence fell heavy around all three of them and Bao looked as tight as spring, ready to intervene if Black did anything. Instead the mercenary kept his eyes on the empty plate. Norah waited— waiting for some demeaning remark she knew he had ready at his disposal to use long before the others left the room.
"Moving up in the world?" he suddenly asked, his tone sarcastic, "From where I'm sittin' it looks like you are back were you first started. Giving me drinks."
There it was, and it took every patient fiber within her not to hit him across the back of the head with the metal pitcher she had in her hands.
He stood and turned to face her with a smug look that Norah fumed at. Black smirked vainly and crossed his arms over his chest as his eyes grazed over her once again.
"I like the outfit," he commented with a grin, although she could hear the mocking layer in his voice. "Too bad you didn't wear it when we first met. Might have paid you more."
The water left the pitcher in her hand when she violently jerked it forwards and splashed him across the face. He stumbled back lightly in surprise when the water hit him and he glared at her as she let the pitcher clang carelessly to the ground in anger, returning his look with as much ire. Bao had come around the table but stopped when he got close to them. Unsure if he really wanted to get in Erron Black's way but also fearful for Norah; he waited off to the side until he was needed.
"I am not some slave you can treat like a worm and I am no longer your employee," Norah spat at him venomously, "You will not speak to me in that way again."
She gasped in surprise when his hand shot out and grabbed her by the top of her shoulder, pushing her into the wall with a forceful shove as he closed the distance between them; the water rolling off his face and onto her as he towered over her menacingly.
"You keep forgettin' who you're talking to," Black told her lowly. "I could shoot you in the head right now and nobody would give a shit."
Norah swallowed his words bitterly, her face dropping as he gripped her shoulder tightly. He dipped his face a little closer to hers and she shrunk back even further into the wall, his expression darkening at her in a malicious and almost humored way; his eyes flickered over to Bao before returning to her.
"But we both know I won't need to waste the bullet on you," he flouted at her, his eyebrow quirking up slightly as a grin tugged at his mouth. Her eyebrows bridged together at the disdainful and strange comment.
He released her shoulder and stood straight. She breathed heavily at him, her chest rising and falling in anger as she gave him a mistrustful stare, unsure what his last comment meant.
He regarded her with a scornful look before he smiled, almost triumphantly, his voice dripping with sarcasm and said: "Nice knowing you."
He walked away after that and left her with another layer to the confusion. The door closed behind him, and Norah let out a sigh of relief when he left.
Bao came up to her in a fast-paced stride. "Have you lost your mind? He could have killed you!"
"It is not the first time he has threatened to kill me," Norah shot back bitterly.
Bao sighed heavily her, the worry evident in his eyes as she went to pick up the pitcher she had discarded on the floor. Her thoughts raced at Black's words and she turned to him for an explanation.
"What did he mean that he would not need to waste the bullet?" she asked Bao, seeing if maybe he had an answer.
Norah saw Bao swallow nervously before he shook his head, "I have no idea, Norah."
Before she could pose another question, the servants came in after that and collected the plates. In silence, Norah gave Bao a doubtful look. Norah wasn't convinced by his answer and she could tell that he was not sharing something; a gut feeling she felt that complimented the way his eyes tried to avoid hers uncomfortably.
What was it that was so important that she couldn't know?
Soon after, they left the room and walked to the slave's dining hall to retrieve Torr's food. Norah started to feel a small wedge try and squeeze it's way between the friendship she felt towards Bao and allowing mistrust to seep in through the cracks. She attempted to push it out of her mind, and tried to remind herself that he would never do anything malicious intentionally and perhaps he had his reasons. However, Norah still felt very uncomfortable about the prospect that he was keeping things from her that might involve her, and she grimaced at the thought that maybe he wasn't someone who could be trusted.
Her feelings about not being able to trust Tama's son elevated when he led her down the hall. She noticed that he was brushing the top of his thumb nervously against the tops of his fingers, looking as if he was fidgeting. Norah also noticed he tried to keep ahead of her no matter how much she tried to keep up as if he was purposely trying to forget that she was following him.
"Are you alright?" she questioned.
He nodded his head and flashed a small smile that she could tell was false. It sent a wave of alarm through Norah— especially when she began to notice that the corridors he was leading her through were very unfamiliar.
"Where are we going?"
"To the dining hall," he answered quickly.
A lie. Norah knew it the moment she heard it.
She clutched at the teal necklace she wore absently, feeling as if it was choking her, but she knew it was the lump of nervousness she felt in her throat. Something was wrong and she knew it.
The baker also started to feel somewhat angry with Bao and stared at the back of his head with resentment. She had no idea with what he had in mind but continued to follow him regardless, also somewhat curious about what he was planning for her. Although the idea of running did bounce around in her mind.
They came to the end of a hallway with a door at the end of it and the male cupbearer led her through. Both of them entered into a small room that looked like a simple training area. Norah could see the shadows of the sharp and dangerous weapons that hung on the racks on the wall in the darkness, the light from the torches outside providing the only lighting for the room.
The room didn't frighten her but what did was the way that Bao turned slowly towards her with a deep, regretful frown on his face.
"I am truly sorry about this Norah," he told her, his tone carrying guilt.
Norah was about to ask him what he was talking about before a hand grabbed her around the chest, pinning her arms to her sides while another hand clamped over her mouth. She thrashed immediately in the iron hold while her hands tried to remove the piece of cloth she felt scratching at her cheeks and lips that muffled her screaming. She could tell it was a man behind her, a rather muscular, large man who had so much strength that it didn't seem it took much effort on his part to keep her steady.
Norah could barely make out the dried herbs that were sandwiched slightly through the fabric in her panic and screamed louder, understanding why there was a cloth over her mouth now.
She looked at him, furious that he had done this to her and noticed that he was turning into a dark blur as she started to feel herself grow slack from exhaustion. Her eyelids drooped as she fought for consciousness with all her will, but unfortunately felt the muscles in her arms began to grow impossibly heavy while her entire body grew weaker.
Darkness came almost inevitably after that and Norah went limp in the arms of her attacker.
Bao sighed heavily as Matlal scooped up Norah's unconscious body and swung her over his shoulder like he was carrying a heavy bag. Matlal looked at him, wondering if he was going to follow him to watch and Bao shook his head.
"Torr still needs to be given his meal," was his answer, a heavy cloud of discomfort hanging over him as he tried not to look at the Osh-Tekk's carry; a reminder of how low he felt. Matlal gave a slight shrug statement but didn't say anything and carried Norah off down the hallway.
Bao rubbed the back of his neck with his palm, feeling like the dirtiest piece of garbage in all of Outworld despite that he knew this was the plan ever since his mother wanted Norah as a cup-bearer. It was an initiation that Norah would have to go through and one that could not be avoided.
He prayed to whatever Elder God that was listening that he hoped his mother was right— that Norah was strong enough to pass through the evaluation and he wouldn't lose another to The Marking.