"Well," he said, shaking his head, " I must admit, you were the last thing
I expected when I went into that battle."
She smiled.
"Gee, you think I was expecting any of this when I decided to walk my dog?"
She petted Satina, who was sitting next to her. Xlelon had taken her collar off when she realized that her dog would no longer run away. It was tucked away in her room. The tags had the name of her city engraved in it; she wanted to keep them. Now the one that they had once belonged to stirred the dust with her tail. Neal simply grinned.
"That is very true."
She rubbed his horse's neck.
~ Take care of him. ~
The horse, amused, replied that it would be sure to. Imrah came out, talking to the king. He called to Neal to be ready to leave soon. Neal said that he was already ready.
"I will see you at midwinter, perhaps even manage to beat you at chess."
He snorted.
"I will see to it that you don't. I am glad to have met you, Xlelon Padrifamay."
"As am I Nealen of Green Mountain."
He smiled and kissed her hand as he might a noble lady's. She rolled her eyes.
"My heart is all a flutter," she said dryly.
He laughed.
"As is mine Milady." He said, equally dry. Still smiling, he mounted his horse. Waving, he rode to catch up with his knight master. Smiling, she went to ready herself to go to the city again, she was still looking for that blasted job. She hadn't wanted to go to the lower districts, but it looked as if she was left without a choice. Looks as if I'll be applying to the Dancing Dove, she thought, I hope the new king of the Thieves has got it sorted out with the magestrate.
Jeremiah looked up as a girl entered the inn. The room was empty, as many didn't come in until late at night, he was there only to ready himself for the rush that started at about sunset. She looked around, uncertain, and then came over to him.
"Good afternoon miss, and welcome to Billy Frog's Inn*, can I help ye?"
She fidgeted, and finally answered.
"Erm, yes, sort of, I mean, are you in need of help around the inn? I'm looking for a job."
Jeremiah looked her over, she was pretty enough, as women went, but she wasn't pretty enough for a good serving girl. He was also pretty sure that she was either a bit young for it, or not comfortable.
"What sort of job are ye lookin fer? I could put you as a server, but ye don't look old enough, or maybe ye'd prefer to clean rooms during the day?"
She nodded.
"I could be a server, I'm old enough, and I clean well, but I'm looking for a part time job."
Jeremiah nodded.
"Yep, we could use you. How much are ye willing to clean?"
She looked him in the eye.
"I am free after the first bell after noon, and I can work until the ninth or tenth watch. That's about eight hours. What do you need me for?"
He looked her up and down once again. In the right cloths and make up, she would be a pretty thing, and if she was willing, she could be a serving girl and a maid, she had enough time.
"Tell ye what, I'll tell ye what you can do, and the pay for it, and ye can pick. We could use an extra-serving girl for rush hour, and we certainly need a maid, ours old one quit a week ago. Its two coppers per room ye clean, plus the money they leave you. The server pays four coppers plus the tips."
"Why is the serving girl more?"
"Favors."
Seeing her look, he clarified quickly.
"No no, nothing like that, we ain't a brothel, ye sit with the loners, sometimes on them, but if they touch ye, they be kicked out."
She smiled, this might be fun.
"Ye also give performances every once in a while, if ye choose, can ye dance?"
"A bit, but I sing better."
"Very good."
"I was wondering, could I come to work after the bell, and clean, and when the business picks up, I could start as a serving girl until say…tenth watch, maybe eleventh on Saturdays?"
He considered her request.
"So, ye're asking for pay for however many rooms you can clean in five hours or so, and then work as a server for three or four hours?"
She nodded.
"Exactly."
He thought. Suddenly, he smiled, this solved a lot of his problems.
"When can ye start?"
She thought, if she could get three days, it would be helpful so that she could sort things out. However she wanted to see what the work would be like. A deal stuck itself together in her brain.
"How about this, I'll work for the rest of today, learn the ropes and so on, free of pay, and I'll start work in three days."
He considered.
"Two days."
She smiled; she had a feeling she would fit right in here.
"Deal. What's first?"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;
Sorry to leave ya hanging there…*-Billy frogs is the name of a Bar/Grill in Omaha, I just liked the name so much I used it. I figured they wouldn't let her in the Dancing dove, so I changed it, she does stay at the palace after all. OOO and by the time you get this, I should have 50 reveiws, after all there's only two more…::glares at people who don't review:: Disregard that if you review. Evil non-reveiwers.
She smiled.
"Gee, you think I was expecting any of this when I decided to walk my dog?"
She petted Satina, who was sitting next to her. Xlelon had taken her collar off when she realized that her dog would no longer run away. It was tucked away in her room. The tags had the name of her city engraved in it; she wanted to keep them. Now the one that they had once belonged to stirred the dust with her tail. Neal simply grinned.
"That is very true."
She rubbed his horse's neck.
~ Take care of him. ~
The horse, amused, replied that it would be sure to. Imrah came out, talking to the king. He called to Neal to be ready to leave soon. Neal said that he was already ready.
"I will see you at midwinter, perhaps even manage to beat you at chess."
He snorted.
"I will see to it that you don't. I am glad to have met you, Xlelon Padrifamay."
"As am I Nealen of Green Mountain."
He smiled and kissed her hand as he might a noble lady's. She rolled her eyes.
"My heart is all a flutter," she said dryly.
He laughed.
"As is mine Milady." He said, equally dry. Still smiling, he mounted his horse. Waving, he rode to catch up with his knight master. Smiling, she went to ready herself to go to the city again, she was still looking for that blasted job. She hadn't wanted to go to the lower districts, but it looked as if she was left without a choice. Looks as if I'll be applying to the Dancing Dove, she thought, I hope the new king of the Thieves has got it sorted out with the magestrate.
Jeremiah looked up as a girl entered the inn. The room was empty, as many didn't come in until late at night, he was there only to ready himself for the rush that started at about sunset. She looked around, uncertain, and then came over to him.
"Good afternoon miss, and welcome to Billy Frog's Inn*, can I help ye?"
She fidgeted, and finally answered.
"Erm, yes, sort of, I mean, are you in need of help around the inn? I'm looking for a job."
Jeremiah looked her over, she was pretty enough, as women went, but she wasn't pretty enough for a good serving girl. He was also pretty sure that she was either a bit young for it, or not comfortable.
"What sort of job are ye lookin fer? I could put you as a server, but ye don't look old enough, or maybe ye'd prefer to clean rooms during the day?"
She nodded.
"I could be a server, I'm old enough, and I clean well, but I'm looking for a part time job."
Jeremiah nodded.
"Yep, we could use you. How much are ye willing to clean?"
She looked him in the eye.
"I am free after the first bell after noon, and I can work until the ninth or tenth watch. That's about eight hours. What do you need me for?"
He looked her up and down once again. In the right cloths and make up, she would be a pretty thing, and if she was willing, she could be a serving girl and a maid, she had enough time.
"Tell ye what, I'll tell ye what you can do, and the pay for it, and ye can pick. We could use an extra-serving girl for rush hour, and we certainly need a maid, ours old one quit a week ago. Its two coppers per room ye clean, plus the money they leave you. The server pays four coppers plus the tips."
"Why is the serving girl more?"
"Favors."
Seeing her look, he clarified quickly.
"No no, nothing like that, we ain't a brothel, ye sit with the loners, sometimes on them, but if they touch ye, they be kicked out."
She smiled, this might be fun.
"Ye also give performances every once in a while, if ye choose, can ye dance?"
"A bit, but I sing better."
"Very good."
"I was wondering, could I come to work after the bell, and clean, and when the business picks up, I could start as a serving girl until say…tenth watch, maybe eleventh on Saturdays?"
He considered her request.
"So, ye're asking for pay for however many rooms you can clean in five hours or so, and then work as a server for three or four hours?"
She nodded.
"Exactly."
He thought. Suddenly, he smiled, this solved a lot of his problems.
"When can ye start?"
She thought, if she could get three days, it would be helpful so that she could sort things out. However she wanted to see what the work would be like. A deal stuck itself together in her brain.
"How about this, I'll work for the rest of today, learn the ropes and so on, free of pay, and I'll start work in three days."
He considered.
"Two days."
She smiled; she had a feeling she would fit right in here.
"Deal. What's first?"
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;;
Sorry to leave ya hanging there…*-Billy frogs is the name of a Bar/Grill in Omaha, I just liked the name so much I used it. I figured they wouldn't let her in the Dancing dove, so I changed it, she does stay at the palace after all. OOO and by the time you get this, I should have 50 reveiws, after all there's only two more…::glares at people who don't review:: Disregard that if you review. Evil non-reveiwers.