The day had gone almost exactly like all the others since her arrival in Rhy"Din. Rising and eating a bite of cold poridge before rushing out to go to work at a local bakery. Working through the day in the kitchen baking bread which would be sold to the local population. Getting a short few minutes to down a bit of bread and cheese herself for a mid-day meal. Then back to work until the end of the day, when she was given a few coins and some of the warm bread that had not been sold that day.

Her employer, of course, prided himself in only selling bread made fresh that day. So all the girls who worked for him received a loaf of their own in the evening of what he had not sold. At least she had a generous employer. Nothing to complain about there.

This day, of course, had been no different. That was, until she stepped into the market itself with a small bag slung over her arm, in which the loaf rested, and hopefully soon to have a few choice vegetables joining it.

She had stopped at one of the vending carts and spoken to the elderly lady tending it. A glance at a few of the produce still on it, and she chose what looked to be some of the freshest still there.

She was just about to pay the woman when she felt a hard tug on her purse string, hard enough to actually spin her totally around, and catch sight of her would-be thief. By the looks of it, one of the beggar children who roamed the streets.

"Stop!!! Thief!!!" she cried, though she wasn't too surprised that he didn't. Nor was she terribly surprised when people only stopped to look in the general direction she pointed, but didn't move to prevent the child's progress down the street toward the alleyway. Actually, the only thing that did surprise her was the fact that one burly looking man stepped from his butchershop and snagged the boy with a meaty paw.

She quickly paid the old woman and hastily made her way to the man, and then a second surprise took her. The one she had assumed was a child, had in fact been a beardless dwarf, gruffly protesting his capture.

"Let me be!" was the first thing she heard as she watched him kick at, though fail to hit the man.

Then her surprise turned to anger. "What's this" You try to take a purse of a helpless woman' Why aren't you in your mines seeking gold and fortune?"

At that, the dwarf turned about, "What mines" They all be dried up, and I be too if"n I don't be gettin" a bit of mead in me.?

Her movement through the crowd, of course, brought her to the door of the Shaved Kurii, but she didn't dare glance in that direction. Fear kept her from doing that. As a matter of fact, she tried to hurry past it, but the crowd had knotted quite close together and she was forced to stand near the entrance to the place or be trampled.

Because she was so close, she spied a woman laying in the middle of the floor of the place. Though she couldn't hear her very well, it was not hard to tell that something was wrong. As a matter of fact, it actually seemed that the person was crying. She couldn't help herself, she had to call out to the woman, "Are you alright?"

It seemed to her that the woman stiffened at the sound of her voice. No, she couldn't have been mistaken, because now it seemed that she was wiping at her eyes. Alaemnah was pretty sure she heard her say, "yes mistress?" but she could have been mistaken, the crowd was so loud and boisterous that evening.

At any rate, Alaemnah forgot in that moment what she had heard about the place and slipped inside to kneel beside the woman, asking again, "Are you alright' Cause you look like you're crying."

The woman continued to try to dry her eyes, "He cut my hair," was all the explanation given as the woman clutched the two foot length of hair to her chest.

She was suddenly concerned and asked, "Who did?" as she looked about the place.

The only reply she received to that question was a sniffle from the woman in front of her.

She was quite used to trying to comfort someone who was sick or hurt, so it was kind of like second nature for her to reach out and give the long strand a gentle stroke as she spoke to the woman, "And you had such beautiful hair too."

At least that received a response, "thank you?"

And then a question she had not expected, "Why are they so mean?"

She wasn't quite sure who "they' were, but she figured that anyone being mean like this just was that and no real reason behind it, "I don't know." Of course, when faced with cruelty of any kind it bothered her greatly, and not yet really practiced enough to keep that from her features, it showed.

"Do they treat ya nice?"

"Who?" That question had her curious, since she couldn't imagine anyone who went around cutting peoples" hair without their permission would treat anyone nice, "The ones who cut your hair?"

At that moment, the woman asked her a question she had not expected, "Are ya a slave?"

Well, Alaemnah couldn't help herself, she gasped and shook her head quickly, "Of course not," and just as quickly wanted to kick herself for being surprised at that question. For in the next moment the woman responded by groaning and turning her head back to the floor.

"Sorry mistress?"

She frowned as she realized the hurt she had inflicted unwittingly and tried to fix it, "For what?"

"I thought ya were a slave....don't be mad."

She couldn't help but fell a little disconcerted as she shook her head, "I couldn't be mad. Not for that. You did no harm to me."

The woman's response to that was a reply of a sniffle followed by, "Thank ya fer sayin" I had pretty hair.?"

She could only nod as she responded to the woman, "Oh, but you do." Well, that wasn't quite right any longer, and so she frowned, "or did." Sometimes it just doesn't feel that you can say the right thing, so the frown deepened, "Until it got cut." Then curiosity got the better of her, "Why was it cut?"

The woman started to cry, yet also seemed to try very hard not to cry at the same time. "He wanted ta punish me fer breakin" the rules."

"What rules?" She leaned close and gently rubbed the girl's shoulders.

The woman started listing off the rules she had to follow, "Always address free people as mistress or master, never address myself as I, me, or Nadine, only in the third person." Well at least she had a name for the woman sitting here seeming so sad. "There were others but he cut my hair an I couldn't member anymore. He cut my hair twice." She moved the plait away from her body so the knot in the middle could be seen.

A shudder ran through her as she heard the litany of the rules Nadine had to follow and shook her head, "And he was your master?"

It actually surprised her when Nadine gave her seemingly hesitant response, "No mistress....My master is away on business, an they started bein" mean ta me. Two days ago they broke three of my fingers....but Faenix....he fixed me?"

She shivered slightly, "I hope someone fixes them up real good and proper."

Nadine sniffled before she spoke, "I am sorry mistress, this is not yer problem....but thank ya fer carin"."

Alaemnah glanced down at the basket of bread and sighed, "I do have to sell this bread or I'll be let go good and proper. My name's Alaemnah. And you can call me that, at least while no one is around who'll cut your hair or break your fingers."

"Thank you mistress....ya treat me nice?"

Alaemnah figured the finger breaker was probably nearby and so she nodded and smiled before she rose and slipped back out into the crowd gathered that evening."

As she moved through the crowds of people in the streets the sound of her calling could be heard to ring out, "Rolls. Warm bread. Hot buns. Get them while they're fresh.?