The loss of Brother Lyle back to Yransea had swiftly removed what little free time Hudson had managed to reclaim for himself. With no accountant, he had taken up the books again; it was as time-consuming as it had ever been ? more, because of the expansions in trade since Hudson had hired on initially. The L?ir Mothan wasn?t back up on blocks, but he hadn?t been fishing for almost a week now ? he just took out the dory for an hour or so in the early mornings, to keep his balance close to intact.

Now heat of the day made the offices on the second floor oppressive, and augmented the headache that had been creeping up with the dance of numbers. He marked his place and left the book open, scratch paper covered with notes and calculations to one side. Ink stained over the scars on his hands and he grimaced to note it when he opened the window of his office. Leaning out, there was just the faint edge of breeze that carried the sea close enough to touch. Not enough to do more than tease.

Meanwhile downstairs, on the open floor of the warehouse, Eva?s tentative query had produced a minor flurry of activity. Joss, one of the younger workers, had anxiously greeted the doctor without recognizing her and then run to fetch the shift foreman. The shift foreman had listened to the brief explanation of purpose and grunted wordlessly, and then with a curt gesture mounted the stairs up to the second floor. Hudson?s office was smaller, nearer to the stairs, than the office Rhys occupied ? more often than not the Scotsman ran interference on irate tradesmen before they ever got to see the senior manager.

This, however, was no irate tradesman. Hudson looked around in surprise from his position by the window when there was a short rap on the open door, followed by the shift foreman leaning into the room. The man?s words were as gruff as the rest of his attitude. ?Girl here says she knows ya. Eva. Lookin? for a job. In?? When Hudson nodded assent, the foreman cleared out of the doorway and clattered back down to the warehouse floor.

Hudson had been half-expecting that Eva might show up, after Sylvia had warned him of the possibility. At the moment, with the thought of the books fresh in his mind, he was more than ready to find someone willing and able to take on the task he found most time-consuming. That it might be someone he knew already, and knew to trust ? that was an unexpected benefit; it was also more important than ever, with the recent resolution of the Merchant?s Guild mess. So a smile creased his face, deepened the wrinkles worn into the corners of his eyes by wind and weather, as he crossed the room to offer a net-scarred and ink-stained hand.

?Eva, ?tis well tae see ye. Be ye here tae ask on th? job th? Baroness told ye o', then??

Eva?s nerves were apparent in the tug of her fingers on her jacket and the shifting of her weight. Hudson?s black eyes, sharp with observation, softened just a trifle at the evidence. ?Aye, and that be th? important thing in an accountant, dae ye no? think? As for th? references, I had just th? same tae my name when Captain Caisson spoke tae me as ye dae now ? th? good word o? th? Baroness and her faith tae trust.? His smile reappeared, merry for an instant. ??Twould hardly be well o? me tae ask for what I didnae ha?e, would it??

Stepping back, Hudson waved in the direction of his desk, cluttered with the books and papers he had been working on. There was a stronger breath of sea-breeze in the window that ruffled the edges of the paper without disrupting it, and he took a deep breath of the salt air in reflexive enjoyment. ?Ye come at good time, in th? matter o? truth ? th? morning I ha?e been working on th? accounts, and easy enow tae show ye th? bounds o? what ye?d be dealing with. I?ll ask ye ? ha?e ye e?er worked th? books on a venture sae large??

Conversational in tone, his question slipped in not with the tones of a formal interview, but as simple curiosity. Still, the sharp observation had returned to his eyes while he led the way over to the desk. Scarred hands were brisk in setting order back to the papers, replacing the pen he had been using into the inkpot. ?If ye be tae work here, ye?ll ha?e tae understand th? scope o? th? trade we dae, and th? peculiarities. ?Tis actually for Captain Caisson that most o? th? trade be in hand, ye see. Yransea interests keep tae necessities for th? most part, though a small profit there be in that tae. But ?tis for Captain Caisson that th? trade through tae Mount Yasuo runs, and wi? th? merchants and factors here, and sae there?d th? twa sets o? books tae maintain ? one for th? Barony and one for th? Captain, and th? Captain?s be th? more complex o? th? pair.?

Gestures as he spoke had indicated the difference in the books arrayed on the desk. Those for Yransea were bound in green with the Yransea seal stamped onto the cover, while the books of Captain Caisson?s trade were wrapped with red. Motion through the window caught the corner of his eye, and Hudson looked away just for a moment. It was an example of why the offices were placed as they were on the second floor; he nodded in satisfaction when he recognized the lines of the ship entering the harbor. ?Th? South Islands run. I?ll ha?e a meeting wi? th? factor there in th? morning.?

That was another matter, however, and he looked back at Eva. ?Yer pardon for th? distraction. There be an opportunity for us in th? making, and if it gaes well, ye?d ha?e a more complex task yet in th? accounts. That be a warning tae ye, if ye like ? we dinnae expand tae rapidly in th? trade wi? Yransea, tae keep their society in th? balance, but there be expansion just th? same. Ye?ll find th? job tae keep ye well-occupied, but we?d be tae compensate ye well for it at th? same time. If ?tis interested ye still be, I?ll set ye tae show me yer skill wi? these figures here.? He pointed out one sheet that had, apparently, been particularly troublesome to him by the numerous crossing-outs and re-figuring done on its accompanying scratch paper.

?If th? short trial dinnae drive ye away, I?ll take ye on for th? longer trial, until Master Corinsson has th? chance tae approve ye. Once that be done, I?ve nae fear in hiring ye tae join us.? Hudson nodded once and stepped back to allow Eva a closer look at the indicated books and papers. Despite the flow of words, he?d never lost the look of keen observation; now he held himself ready for the questions she would be sure to have in return.

Wry smile turned up Hudson?s mouth at the evidence of Luna?s skill with numbers ? he managed, but obviously she was much better suited to the job of accountant than he would ever be. ?Oh, aye, records and records there be. Brother Llyr left th? accounts in good order, and he hasnae been gone sae long that I ha?e had much chance tae disarray things. Th? main books be here, as ye see, but there be another office down th? hall that th? good Brother had been set up in, and all th? rest o? th? papers and such be stored there.?

Satisfied with the demonstration ? but more by the obvious calming effect that Luna had felt in the quick study of numbers and arrayed figures ? Hudson didn?t have any doubts that she would be capable of the job. Her blunt question was just as appreciated; he would rather have directness than the kind of stuttering nervousness that the previous (and corrupted) accountant had always displayed. ?As for th? approval ? aye, that I did say. Ye see, Master Corinsson be th? Master-at-Arms for Yransea. ?Tis nae a title I be all that familiar with, but th? head o? security I believe that makes him.?

A slight frown followed as he thought over how to further explain. ?Saen he be charged wi? th? safety o? th? Baroness, and then Captain Caisson be his own cousin, he has th? final say o?er who be allowed tae hire on here. There were mischief enow lately that I dinnae think he?ll pass on th? scrutiny, even for someone we ken tae trust.? A shrug and Hudson absently touched the stag?s-head brooch on his left shoulder. Mischief was an understatement for the troubles of late, but they were fortunately dealt with, now.

?But th? leeway tae take ye on a provisional basis, ?til Ewan?s research be done ? that I ha?e. He had a conversation wi? me before Captain Caisson took me permanently, and th? same I?d imagine he?d want wi? ye given th? position o? trust we?d ha?e in ye as accountant.? He was matter-of-fact as he moved back out from behind the desk, leading the way out of the room to stand on the balcony and look out at the warehouse floor below.

A wagon had arrived while they had been speaking in the office, and now crates were being loaded into the bed under the direction of the same gruff foreman who had led Eva up the stairs. Shouts back and forth across the room mixed directions with casual insults, rude gestures and raucous laughter. The unease that had been a presence since the incident of sabotage was entirely gone, and Hudson was well satisfied. Still, it was a rough crowd and he looked over his shoulder at the doctor. Somehow, he didn?t doubt she could hold her own.

?If ye be willing and still want it, th? job be yers as far as I be concerned ? and I?ll ha?e a word or twa wi? Master Corinsson if he thinks there be aught amiss, tae. On th? provision, ye can start on th? morrow if ye like, or later if ye need th? time tae finish what keeps ye now.? That was no empty promise, to speak with Ewan. He had come to blows with the Master-at-Arms once for Kayle; while he would hope that nothing that extreme would be needed, he would certainly stand up for hiring Eva. It was up to the doctor whether she still wanted the job.

A knock at the thick oak door of the small wattle room Ewan had sequestered himself at Whistling Downs Holding House drew his attention from the messages he was reading. "Come in," he called, drawing his green eyed gaze up from the papers.

Juliana, administrator of that particular holding house, entered with no trailing sound of her step. Whether it was a trait of her blended heritage or of her arcane talents Ewan had never thought to ask, and his thoughts were too consumed with his task to give the question weight now. Her smile was curious as she passed over the latest message. "Unable to concentrate at home?"

Ewan shrugged one shoulder, a finger slipping under the tucked fold of the paper to reveal its contents. "I would rather keep as much of my work out of the home as possible. The comings and goings will not be noticed here as much as at my home."

With a breeze touched laugh, Juliana nodded, "Yes, of course. It will protect your informants. Well, we have uncovered some information as well if you are inclined to hear it."

The letter was brief, confirmed much of what others had said of Eva Luna's routine, and Ewan set it in the stack. In the two days passed that Ewan received word Eva Luna had provisionally accepted the position of accountant at the Yransea warehouse, he had directed his contacts, Tunnelers, and the three holding houses where he had influence, to find whatever they could on the lady.

So far, the Tunnelers had revealed to her most pervasive habits, and one in particular that had been struck by the bombings of the Marketplace nearly a year ago, told of his personal experience with her tending to his healings at that time. Others mentioned rumors heard of her weekly routine of visiting one of the established religious presences, a Church of the Holy Trinity. Of all the informants had been able to share, none set off the jolt in his belly that there was something amiss. He would look into each of these things himself, but now he had direction of where to look.

With the Tunnelers having covered routine, the Holding Houses were too look into the past, and it was here that Ewan felt a stir of trepidation. If Juliana found something, it could not have been good. The woman's eyes were intense in their hold on his features, but revealed nothing to prepare him for what she had to say. A finger lifted from the smooth grained wood of the table to let Juliana continue. "A contact with Star's End-"

Ewan scowled. If there was anything that concerned him most about Ms. Luna it was the extreme difference of her cultural background to those hired to work for or from Yransea.

"-I haven't finished, Ewan." Juliana set one hand to a hip, looking ready to scold a disrespectful child. "I do hope that you are not going to hold that against her." When she received no reply from him, she continued. "As I was saying, it was some years back that she was accused of practicing medicine without a license twice and both times charges were dropped."

The cold knotting in his center dissipated, and Ewan folded his hands to rest across his middle as he sat back. "Of such things I am not overly concerned. Intent to do harm is my concern or connections with those who would do harm. A predilection for a vice that others could exploit." That last eked out the bitter tone of his voice.

"People are not perfect, Ewan, particularly here. There is no way for you to keep everyone under your eye or thumb once they have passed what, in my mind, is your most strenuous examination."

"Yes, thank you, Juliana. I am grateful for the information." He was not about to get into an argument or, as it usually did with Juliana, a philosophical debate.

The mistress of Whistling Down Holding House knew a dismissal when she heard one, and stepped from the room. "Well," Ewan sighed out in the hazy hush of a breath, "time to do a little investigation of my own." It was time if the oil and water mixture of cultures was the worst he could anticipate or if Ms. Eva Luna's habits had darker roots.

When Eva was most nervous, she distracted herself with work. Today it was numbers. She sat her desk in the warehouse, her jacket draped over the back of her chair, two sets of accounting books in front of her and pages and pages of figures that wouldn't make much sense to anyone else. But occasionally she would glance up towards the door, as if she were expecting an interruption any minute.

Ewan stepped past the busy workers at the wide entry of the warehouse, nodded in polite reserve to the men who bobbed heads to acknowledge him, and went on through the orderly maze of crates to the stairs leading up to the offices.

It was hoped, based on information and habits that he would avoid the time Hudson was in the building, hopefully out fishing in the sea, and find only Rhys and Ms. Eva Luna, the person of interest in this visit, in the offices.

It seemed to hold true, Rhys giving a curious look only to follow with a nod when Ewan indicated the next, office on. When he arrived at the door of Eva's small square of workspace, he said not a word but watched and waited for her glance up and to be afforded entrance.

Her head was low, her pen scratching across the paper. She was left handed, her arm angled almost awkwardly above paper, writing carefully not to smudge, but when she paused he could still see black ink on the side of her hand. Her lips moved silently, as she counted and calculated to herself, then jotted down another number. She flipped a page, wrote in the book, and then glanced up. She froze, her body stiffening, and then she remembered to smile as she stood. "Mister, I mean, Master Corinsson... hello... come in." She motioned to the single chair on the opposite side of the desk.

A congenial smile, it held no familiarity, only withdrawn courtesy and he took the offered seat. "Thank you, Ms. Luna, though if you will permit me the luxury of discarding with formalities for this conversation, you are welcome to call me Ewan if I may call you Eva."

Eva smiled, returning to her seat, and nodded. "Of course. I prefer it to be honest." She shifted some more papers around the table, setting her ink pen aside angled so it wouldn't leak, and then absently rubbed at the ink stain on the side of her left hand. "So what can I do for you?"

There was no reply for the space of a few breaths. He studied her motions, the way she sat, and what she did in the silence if she showed signs of nervousness, arrogance, or fear. "I have heard you have taken well to the position of accountant, much to the relief of your immediate supervisors." What level of importance that weighed with him was hard to say, his expression was kept to a most implacable nonchalance. "I am not here to judge you fit or not fit to the everyday details of the job. My entire purpose is to make sure you carry no threat to those of my keeping, and every person that works in this warehouse is of my keeping."

The nonchalance dropped away replaced with a steely coolness. "Vices I overlooked before have caused too much grief, and in this world it is hard to expect the same sense of loyalty and decorum as those of Yransea. I had been lax in my expectations, and cannot afford to be so again. To that measure, I must ask to clarify some curiosities I have. Namely," he smiled, adding humored warmth that did not reach his eyes, "you do not seem one as particularly religious in your every day, and yet you make a nearly unblemished routine of visiting a religious establishment each week." The question was implied without the speaking, more to see her reaction and how forthcoming she would be.

When she did not hold his gaze, his concern reformed. Fingers unlaced and rested across his abdomen once more. "There may come a time when I ask of it, but not today. Today, I will come to my greatest concern. You may have noticed not all who work here are from Yransea, and they are not, but their culture is similar. You are, by far, the most dissimilar." It was a token smile with no more than a twist to the corner of his mouth. "There will be times when we will seem backward, times when you will feel restricted by some strange notion. If you are willing to see through these things, then I will confirm you position here and you will come under the guidance and protection of Yransea. This can be a burden and a blessing. I will not have you mistaken on that count."

He leaned forward, "The safety of the Baroness, her family, and dealings of Yransea are uppermost, and I hope that should you find anything that might threaten them happening in the warehouse, you will inform me." It was implicitly not an option. He was to be informed of anything out of sorts, and made that perfectly clear.

Eva nodded her understanding. "I admit that I don't... I don't know much about the culture of Yransea... or even about Sylvia's..." A bit of color rose to her cheeks, and she quickly corrected herself. "The baroness' position... but I... I understand that working here, I'm almost... well her guest... and a guest of Yransea. I know my word doesn't mean much to you yet, but I promise to respect that." She smiled, and picked up the ink pen gesturing with it. "This would not be my first choice, but I'm willing to do what's right by the people here." Then she twisted her left hand showing the ink stain. "Ink stains and all."

"Taking this position you are an employee of my cousin. The Baroness's importance here is cursory and nothing to this land. I simply do not wish plots to trickle into here without my knowing. That is mine to deal with." But what she had said last cast away more of his words. It had drawn a slow smile. "What would be your first choice?"

Again she nodded her understanding, though the idea that he and Hudson Fraiser were cousins was news to her. Then she smiled, and shrugged one shoulder. "Well, most of this work could be done very efficiently on a computer." She leaned forward a bit, watching his face to see if he knew what she meant as she continued, "But I admit that I've been enjoying using my head. A lot of work can be rather mindless."

"I doubt I could convince Gaerwyn of indulging in such a device as I have chanced witness in his warehouse, even here in Rhydin. I am the more open minded of the two of us." The little joke, that his cousin was even more traditional, was more than likely absent on her, but it drew a low, brief laugh from him. "It would be like asking the workers to let their dead ancestors come and help them move crates. Such things of Rhydin they can choose to encounter or avoid on their own in this city, but not here. I understand the inconvenience." Yet, it was clear he was not going to recommend a remedy for it.

"Have you any questions for me?" He leaned forward, his attention to her queries absolute.

Eva smiled, and then returned her pen to the desk and rubbed her hands on her pants. "Oh, well, actually..." her smiled faded as she looked down at the books, then back up to him. "There have been references... mutterings around here... and some old work that seems... well..." Eva shrugged. "Was the person who last held this position... untrustworthy?" She put it as delicately as she could.

"The rumors are close enough to the truth for the point to be the same." Ewan supplied little more at first. His eyes did not waver, but he did shift in his seat. His failing, though remedied, still did not sit well with him when questioned. Still, rumors were not to be suppressed, and he continued. "In an attempt to discredit my cousin, Gaerwyn Caisson, two members of the Merchants Guild of my homeland manipulated a worker here and the accountant through weaknesses of theirs. He was, as was said, untrustworthy and dealt with."

Ah, so Captain Caisson was Ewan's cousin. That made more sense. It was hard to imagine Hudson Fraiser and Ewan Corinsson being from the same family tree. She hadn't met the Captain yet, but now she had something to imagine in her head. Eva nodded and tucked her hair back behind her ear, unconsciously bringing her scar into view. "I see." She looked at him, searching for words that would somehow reassure him that she would be different, but everything sounded pathetic in her head. So she went with honesty. "I'll try to be open with you."

Ewan nodded and offered, ?In turn, I will give you all the assistance I can in whatever you need. This is not a place of give and get nothing in return. Our resources are limited compared to many, but what we have to offer is granted to those who take up the burdens of working here. In that measure, you are welcome to visit Yearling Brook north of here, though unlike many of the other workers, I doubt you should require seclusion or rest from the chaos of the city."

He waited, allowing for her to ask any further questions that might be on her mind before he concluded the interview and finished his work.

Hollows Den and Yearling Brook were two places he'd mentioned that she had never heard of, but rather than continue to bother him with questions that she imagined were rather mundane, she figured she could simply ask Hudson when she had some time with him. Not to mention the sooner Ewan approved her, the more confident Eva was that she wasn't going to lose this job. Eva smiled and nodded. "I appreciate that. I'm lucky to be here."

"Eva, I am not a man to believe in luck, but too much of Rhydin has forced me to accept that luck does happen from time to time." He rose, the first of the true smiles given. It was a thing of rarity outside his home and the friendships of his homeland. "Luck may have brought you here, but it will be your abilities and desire that will keep you here. That is entirely in your hands. I shall send word to Master Fraiser and the Baroness that our new accountant is formally approved. I leave the details of your wage, if not already settled, to Master Fraiser." He bowed his head. "Thank you, Eva, for taking the time to speak with me today. I wish you a good day."

She stood as he stood, relieved, a relaxed smile finding its way to her features. "Thank you, Ewan, I really appreciate it." She pulled the bottom of her blouse straight as if attempting to make a last good impression, and watched him as he let himself out.