"Free day? Oh, dear, and you're going to take little Maddy to see you're city, aren't you, Lioness?"
The Lioness, early in the morning, and groggily going through her exercises, found herself agreeing to...take Sayo shopping. Shopping?
"Aye. I need a few trinkets for my family. It's winter festival, soon, and I need to get a few presents."
Alanna decided that getting some shopping done early wouldn't be too bad, although she had an inkling of the sort of adventure she was likely to have.
Two weeks in the palace had proved that Sayo had no sense of social order, (or rather, a very good sense of when not to listen to it); the new pages were learning the basics in a whirlwind of chaos; nobody brought it up, perhaps, because they were doing a little better than 1st years did, or, perhaps, Sayo was so wholly charming that no one wanted to. Even Wyldon, with his acknowledged distrust of female warriors seemed to like her. She was pretty and smiling and charismatic.
"Shouldn't you be doing your exercises, Ma'am?" Sayo asked mischievously, breaking Alanna's reverie.
"Hmph. Shouldn't you?"
Sayo did a backflip, landed, touched her toes and flipped forward again. She eased Alanna's heavy practice sword out of the woman's hand before her reflexes kicked in, and went through an elaborate pattern-dance with it, backing away and flipping with unbelievable ease. Her dance came to a halt with a jolt as the blade stopped inches away from the nose of the tall man who had just entered the door.
"Hello," he said, eyebrow raised, unperturbed.
"Hello," said Sayo, carefully lowering the sword and handing it back to Alanna.
"Alanna I need to talk to you. Nothing important, just some updates."
"Of course, Goldenlake. Give me an hour, Sayo?"
"Naturally. You haven't warmed up, enough, though. A grandmother like yourself needs to keep in shape." Not waiting for a-possibly violent-reaction, the Mouse scurried away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"A spice cake! Perfect for the winter festivals." Sayo was loaded with trinkets and perishable baked goods. "Earbobs for my sisters. The metalwork here is not terrific, but the stones are good. We don't see pearls much at home. Ah," she breathed, finding a bookstore. "For parents. I'm done."
Loaded with packages, Sayo set down to wrapping them. It took her nearly an hour, in the bright, packed city to find a courier willing to take them to her home (wherever that was; Alanna still didn't catch it), and she paid nearly as much to ship it as she had to pay for it.
Alanna was not sure how they ended up at the Dancing Dove.
"You, um, don't know what that place is..." she cautioned quietly, as they stood at the doorway; she should certainly do.
"Course I do, darlin'," Sayo chirped. "It's the one place I'm likely to get a free drink in this town, and I'm all out of nobles."
"Out?"
"Used more than I thought I would for shipping that stuff. Why do I need money? Shang generally don't."
"But this place..."
"Old friends of mine. Why do you mind? I know who you're married to."
That seemed to close it; with misgivings but also a sense of delight, Alanna followed Sayo into the dimly lit common room of the thieves' inn.
"Maddy!"
"Kit!"
A tall, handsome figure lifted Sayo like a little girl several feet above his head.
"Hah! You have not grown at all, little Maddy!"
"I'm a Shang Master. I oughtn't to consort with the likes of you, should I. Oh, this is-"
"I know," he said with a grave smile. Alanna nodded.
"Um, alright, Alanna, this is Kit. He's the new ki--"
"I know."
Sayo looked at them, shrugged, and headed for the bar, her wide grin glowing white in the dim candlelight.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ooooooooh..." she howled.
"When you need a Sword, the Lion's sure,
When you need a fist, Wildcat ain't poor,
For a fight, its Dragon ye'll call,
But what when you need somebody small?
Where is Mousy when we need her?
She'll be back, because we feed her!
When you don't need Brutes,
Ye just need Cutes
Mousie'll be there if you heed her."
She had a charming voice, even in this drunken, narcissistic song, and more than a few patrons of the bar seemed familiar with it. It seemed to be about Shang, although Alanna wondered about the 'Lion'.
"Oh, when you need a spy you call the Snake,
You call the Bear if there's things to break,
A Unicorn, there's Griffin, too
But what if they're not right for you.
They save the innocent
What if you sin a bit?
Need that smile, just wait a while!
There are Swords, there are Strongs
There are Goods to fight the Wrongs
A Lion, a Dragon, strong and tall
There are big and wonders, all...
And there is Mousy, smiling and small...
When you've got a hero, big and tall;
Up 'gainst a, a, wall
What gall...
HE'S GOT FURTHER TO FALL!"
The song slurred into semi consciousness, although the last line was shouted crazily into the evening, with a heavy beer mug slammed so violently it's contents foamed onto the table. For her size, Sayo had a good head for alcohol, but she had been drinking steadily for hours.
"You can get her home?" the new King of Thieves asked anxiously. "I could help."
//One of Sayo's old friends? I have a lot to ask her.// Alanna thought bitterly.
"No, thank you. I can manage. She can walk a bit, and she doesn't weigh very much."
"Alright. Tell her I'm glad she's around. Perhaps she'd care to come by again."
"Keep an eye on her if she does."
He grinned, kindly, and saw them off. The fading light, a back entrance and a touch of magic got them into the palace unnoticed. Alanna laid Sayo on her stomach in bed and went to her own rooms to deal with her mild headache.