Rose had only recently been allowed to venture into the city proper and her parents" favorite socializing spots without their watchful attention; she grasped her new-found freedom with both small hands and worried her slave-nanny, Aydra, to ragged pieces. Not surprisingly, she often found herself in Rhydin's dueling venues " she fast found friends among the tough, rough-and-tumble denizens of the sports.
Her second trip to the famed Duel of Swords" arenas of sand-filled and blood-stained rings proved to be as exciting as the first. She met Tes.
And so it begins "
The flaxen-haired Rose peered around, legs swinging alternatively. Her brows scrunched suddenly and she hopped off the couch. Slowly she headed toward the boy near the rings. The boy, looking around, saw the girl approaching him and he blinked at her, then stood up. "Hi," she said to the boy and graced him with a shy, curious smile. "I'm Rose. Who're you?"
He smiled, and held out a hand. "I'm Tes. It's nice to meetcha, Rose. What're you doin' here?"
Her small hand extended and slid into his. Fingers squeezed around him and she pumped swiftly up and down, all energy and growing smiles. "I'm here because I like it here. Mom and Dad just started letting me come out here. Dad and Lily even fought here last week!" The girl took a moment to breathe and then continued. "What are you doing here, Mister Tes?"
"Don't call me mister. I'm not all old like grownups. I'm twelve." So mighty, so powerful, so twelve. "I'm here 'cause I don't have anything better to do!"
She giggled. "Mom told me to say it to everyone older than me. It's a sign of ....respect." She nodded a couple more times, pulling her hand back. "Why don't you have anything better to do' Do you have a home" Parents?" She leaned in to add in a not-so-quiet whisper. "Mom says this place can be dangerous cuz of the people."
"I'm around my Dad sometimes. When I feel like it." He didn't tilt his nose toward the air, but the tone said it all; High and mighty. "But usually just my sister." A little shrug. "My Dad says people are boring if they're not dangerous."
She dropped onto the ground with an utter lack of grace during his answer, settling cross-legged and looking way up to him. "Lily's not dangerous and she's not boring. She's my sister. Is your sister dangerous" Or do you think she's boring?" Her head tilted to the left.
"I bet she's probly a little dangerous. Even if you don't know how." He nodded. "My sister blows stuff up." He dropped to the ground in a manner similar to hers. "Are you around your parents a lot?"
"Wow! Your sister blows stuff up"!" Eyes rounded in surprise. "Does she get in trouble for it' Mom said kids were too young for that stuff." She giggled. "I bet Mom and Dad did a lot of things they'd get mad at us for though!" Her head tilted suddenly the other way and she grinned. "I'm with Mom and Dad almost all the time they're home. They're busy, though."
"Yeah, she blows stuff up all the time. I gotta make sure she remembers not to." He smiled. "She's a teenager though. And she doesn't get in trouble. Chryrie's gone, so she's in charge of a lotta stuff. She's like the boss." He giggled as well. "Parents always do stuff they say we shouldn't." A nod, and he continued. "So you get to do whatever you want when they're busy?"
"Oh no!" Curls whipped through the air with the violence of her head shaking. "I have to take lessons in a lot of stuff. I even have to do lesson stuff after my lessons!" There's a momentary huff of exasperation. "But I get to play too. Usually in my wing, but we have a really good playroom. And the other girls play with me too. Do you have to do any of that?" Her upper body rocked back and forth a little, and her grey eyes remained bright and wide with the enthusiasm and excitement of meeting this new boy.
"Lessons" I have to take lessons every couple of days with Wickers, but not as much as when I was little. I don't get to play alot though, unless I go out from the Manor or the apartment building. When I go to my Gram, though, I get to play with lots of things." He smiled, brightly.
"We should play together more often. So you can play. I can even ask Mom if you want to come over!" She beamed. "What do you like to play?"
"Okay!" He clasped his hands together and smiled. "I like to play spy best."
"Spy' Ooooooh." She leaned in, hands clasping in her lap. "How do you play spy?"
He leaned in as well, and spoke secretively. "Well, you gotta figure out something that you're gonna take. 'Cause spies are always tryin' to get the secret thing that you need to beat the bad guys. So it's gotta be somethin' good." He giggled. "Once, I took my Gram's favorite book! She was so mad that she tore down the whole place lookin' for it."
"Oooh." She leaned still further. "I want to play." A couple nods accompanied the words. "But I don't think I could play with Mom or Dad." Her nose wrinkled. "I think they would be so mad. I don't like making them mad." Her head got to shaking once more. "Nope. They'd blame the slaves, anyway, and punish them." A true frown marred her sweet face.
"It's pretty good not to play with your parents. They usually win, anyways. I tried to play with my Dad once and take his pouch, and he caught me." He folded his arms. "Really quick." Tes harrumphed. He looked back up. "Your family has slaves??
"Uh huh." The casual way she said it, it truly was just a way of life. Matter-of-fact, it was nothing important. She looked up and then out. Finally Rose pointed to the kneeling, purple-liveried girl near the bottom of the steps. "That's Aydra, she's mine. I have to take her with me when I go out of the Estate." She shifted back toward Tes. "She's nice, I like her. I don't punish her, though."
She giggled. "Mom told me to say it to everyone older than me. It's a sign of ....respect." She nodded a couple more times, pulling her hand back. "Why don't you have anything better to do' Do you have a home" Parents?" She leaned in to add in a not-so-quiet whisper. "Mom says this place can be dangerous cuz of the people."
"I'm around my Dad sometimes. When I feel like it." He didn't tilt his nose toward the air, but the tone said it all; High and mighty. "But usually just my sister." A little shrug. "My Dad says people are boring if they're not dangerous."
She dropped onto the ground with an utter lack of grace during his answer, settling cross-legged and looking way up to him. "Lily's not dangerous and she's not boring. She's my sister. Is your sister dangerous" Or do you think she's boring?" Her head tilted to the left.
"I bet she's probly a little dangerous. Even if you don't know how." He nodded. "My sister blows stuff up." He dropped to the ground in a manner similar to hers. "Are you around your parents a lot?"
"Wow! Your sister blows stuff up"!" Eyes rounded in surprise. "Does she get in trouble for it' Mom said kids were too young for that stuff." She giggled. "I bet Mom and Dad did a lot of things they'd get mad at us for though!" Her head tilted suddenly the other way and she grinned. "I'm with Mom and Dad almost all the time they're home. They're busy, though."
"Yeah, she blows stuff up all the time. I gotta make sure she remembers not to." He smiled. "She's a teenager though. And she doesn't get in trouble. Chryrie's gone, so she's in charge of a lotta stuff. She's like the boss." He giggled as well. "Parents always do stuff they say we shouldn't." A nod, and he continued. "So you get to do whatever you want when they're busy?"
"Oh no!" Curls whipped through the air with the violence of her head shaking. "I have to take lessons in a lot of stuff. I even have to do lesson stuff after my lessons!" There's a momentary huff of exasperation. "But I get to play too. Usually in my wing, but we have a really good playroom. And the other girls play with me too. Do you have to do any of that?" Her upper body rocked back and forth a little, and her grey eyes remained bright and wide with the enthusiasm and excitement of meeting this new boy.
"Lessons" I have to take lessons every couple of days with Wickers, but not as much as when I was little. I don't get to play alot though, unless I go out from the Manor or the apartment building. When I go to my Gram, though, I get to play with lots of things." He smiled, brightly.
"We should play together more often. So you can play. I can even ask Mom if you want to come over!" She beamed. "What do you like to play?"
"Okay!" He clasped his hands together and smiled. "I like to play spy best."
"Spy' Ooooooh." She leaned in, hands clasping in her lap. "How do you play spy?"
He leaned in as well, and spoke secretively. "Well, you gotta figure out something that you're gonna take. 'Cause spies are always tryin' to get the secret thing that you need to beat the bad guys. So it's gotta be somethin' good." He giggled. "Once, I took my Gram's favorite book! She was so mad that she tore down the whole place lookin' for it."
"Oooh." She leaned still further. "I want to play." A couple nods accompanied the words. "But I don't think I could play with Mom or Dad." Her nose wrinkled. "I think they would be so mad. I don't like making them mad." Her head got to shaking once more. "Nope. They'd blame the slaves, anyway, and punish them." A true frown marred her sweet face.
"It's pretty good not to play with your parents. They usually win, anyways. I tried to play with my Dad once and take his pouch, and he caught me." He folded his arms. "Really quick." Tes harrumphed. He looked back up. "Your family has slaves??
"Uh huh." The casual way she said it, it truly was just a way of life. Matter-of-fact, it was nothing important. She looked up and then out. Finally Rose pointed to the kneeling, purple-liveried girl near the bottom of the steps. "That's Aydra, she's mine. I have to take her with me when I go out of the Estate." She shifted back toward Tes. "She's nice, I like her. I don't punish her, though."