Songs the Night Sings, Part 2 (Gennadiya)

[Ezner]

Ezner looked up as the door opened, seeing a dark haired woman with pale eyes. She wore a pristine white cloak, though Ezner was ignorant of the ranking system of the colors. Still, to him, she seemed important, though he couldn't discern as to why. She handed him a tray of food, speaking kindly, much like the woman earlier had done.

"Thank you, ma'am."

He set the tray on his lap, not touching it yet, despite the loud growling in his stomach indicating his hunger. He felt her eyes on him, a feeling he was well accommodated with. Each and every time he'd changed hands, being sold off or auctioned off, he'd felt those some studious eyes on him. Examining him for injury, looking for strengths or use. It bothered him when he was young, but now such things were expected. Only when she indicated that he was to eat it, and slowly, did he begin to touch his food.

It was the largest meal he'd ever had in his life.

And it showed in the insecurity within his eyes. He wasn't sure where to start, nor was he sure he could even eat it all. He started to reach out for the bread, but then she began to speak, and his eyes tentatively found hers. He wasn't used to people wanting a slave to look them in the eyes, but her gaze seemed to draw his in. But when she said her name, Ezner's eyes widened in shock. If there was one name that any slave might know, it was Faith's. Many stories had been told about her exploits concerning their kind. She had broken the chains in Scalvoris. Ezner didn't know much in the way of specifics, but she had always been spoken of with a certain mystical respect. Some didn't think she was real, was just a story slaves told their slave children to cheer them up. Others thought she was a goddess and would be along to free them before long.

Ezner had never heard any say her name with an ounce of disrespect, though.

Ezner gulped, listening intently, wearing the shock on his face plainly. He attributed every single moment of this interaction to his memory, meeting the woman that made slavers pale. At her question, he nodded. Again, she offered him up the chance to eat. Now figuring out his meal no longer felt big and important, and he grabbed the water, drinking the entire glass down in a single go, careful to not spill or waste a drop. Then he tore a small peace of bread off and dipped it into the soup, before popping it into his mouth. It was divine, and he nearly groaned in pleasure. His eyes now searched her, trying to take in every detail to hold within his memory. Nails of obsidian, tattoos at her neck and wrists and forehead, and she seemed to glow.

She truly was a goddess.

Ezner continued to eat, small, slow bites, so that he would be able to easily speak when needed. And when Faith offered her promise, he believed her. Her name carried that much weight. At her first question, he swallowed the soup, looking back up at her, "My name is Ezner."

And he listened. She explained the situation plainly, and Ezner hadn't realised that slave abuse was illegal. Not that it mattered, he never would've told anyone about it anyways. And Mr. Dey was rich, and rich people always got away with whatever they wanted. And it seemed now that Faith was his new owner. He wondered what was happening to Mr. Dey now. Was he in jail?

Then in a moment completely unlike Ezner, for a second time in so short a span, his eyes grew wide and he blurted out, "Wait. I'll be freed?" It was... impossible. It was unbelievable. He knew that Mrs. Dey and Elisabeth had both wished to see him free, and part of him had begun to want that too. But after all these arcs, a much larger part of him knew, knew with absolute certainty, that he would be a slave until he upset the wrong master and was killed.

He was completely stunned as she continued, talking about helping him with a house, a job, education, all things that were so beyond the impossibility of being freed, he'd barely even considered them real. And as she spoke, he still listened, but Ezner shattered, sobbing over his soup. This was being said by Faith, after all. And every slave knew in a part of them that her word was good and true. This was real. Ezner didn't try to hide his emotions, letting the large tear drops stream down his face as he looked in her direction. He stifled down as much of the sounds as possible, not wanting to interrupt her.

He eventually got himself back to a small semblance of control, using a cloth napkin to clean up his face, taking in several deep breaths. She had asked him for permission to heal him. She asked him. Being asked anything was such a rarity in his life, especially when it came to permission or consent, on anything. "Yes, please."

Then she offered him the chance to ask questions, and he ran the fingers of one hand back through his hair, trying to truly get a grip on this situation. And he did have many questions, and he did feel safe, among this champion of the enslaved. And so, he asked each of them, and gave time for each to be answered, continuing to eat at his meal, not noticing that he was making considerable progress through it.

"Where is Mr. Dey now? Where does he think I am?"

"What does abuse really mean?"

Then he asked a question, the same question he had asked Elisabeth, the same question that then caused him to cry in disbelief and caused the same now, "Why me?" There was no universe where luck sent him not one, not two, but three women who wished to see him freed. What sort of divine providence was at play here?

He believed her about the home, the job, the education, but they weren't imminently important yet. She said he would be in her care for a while. He would be able to ask those when it mattered more. He grew sheepish at the question he wanted to ask next. So he started with a bit of prelude, "Your name, I've heard it from many like me. My mother was a slave, in Scalvoris. I was born a slave there. Is... is it true that she is free now? Are the stories about you real? Are you a goddess? Are you... can you... free all of us?"

He then wiped away his tears, his storm of emotions settling, as a steely determination began to shine through.

"How can I help?"

[Faith Augustin]

16th Vhalar, 720

This was a scene which had played out, one way or another, a hundred hundred times in Faith's life. But yet, each time was different, unique, specific.

She spoke, quietly, calmly. His expression spoke in volumes and then he checked that he'd heard her correctly. He'd be free, he asked, and Faith nodded. Emotion threatened to overwhelm him, and she leaned forward, putting her hand on his arm with a gentle touch. She didn't speak, didn't hug him or join in with his emotions, at least on the outside. Her touch was comforting, but she knew - or believed - that if she gave in to what she was feeling here, then that would be detrimental to him.

It was such a lot for him to take in, she remembered the feeling well - as she had turned and run from Tristan's house, stumbling in the snowy Andaris streets, confusion and fear in equal measure, but there had been that glimmer of hope, of knowing that this was really happening. After all, Tristan had freed her because it was what she wanted. He'd asked her if she wished to be free and, when she said yes, he had given her that wish. By then she knew that Tristan was a kind man, a fair man, a generous man. She had experienced a year with him where he had never hurt her, not once put his hands on to her in violence. So, although she had been prepared, more prepared than Ezner, certainly, she had not been ready.

He consented to her healing him, and Faith smiled, pleased that he had. "Thank you, Ezner," she said. "As I do this, you'll see that there's a green glow. It's the energy Moseke grants me to heal you, there's nothing to be fearful of." She gently began the process, the green glow of her hands gentle as she used her Moseke granted ability Similar to Sevrath's Will, the user is capable of focusing divine energy into a major injury (lost limbs, deep cuts, large puncture wounds, etc.) and coax the cells into healing. This ability requires a few events to "convince" the cells to heal quickly. This ability does not weaken the character as another, more powerful healing ability would. When this ability is in use, a pale green/yellow light emits from the character's skin like a mist and is focused towards the palms and fingers where it is released upon contact of another individual's flesh. and he would feel the healing of his cuts and bruises, even broken bones knitting back together painlessly.

And then, he began to ask questions. Faith considered this a very good thing, and so she addressed each one as fully as she could. "As far as I know," she said in reply to his first question. "Your former owner is in custody, as are many of his associates. He has no idea where you are, nor will he be finding out." She was glad that he continued to eat. That was good - more than good.

His second question, though, that caused her to pause a moment and consider it. "That's tricky to answer," she said softly. "There is a legal definition, of course, but this goes so far beyond it. If I may, I'm going to give you an example?" She smiled at him, her fingers interlacing together as she spoke, silver eyes watching him with an earnest gaze. "I once told my now-husband, although then he was my tutor, that allowing a slave to attend university should be the owner's right. It was, I said, simple economics. Having purchased something means you should be able to do with it what you choose, be that a table, a house, or a slave." Faith's lips lifted slightly, although there was no mirth in her gaze. "When he commented on my ridiculous clothing, I was clear that the teapot is not to be blamed for the cosy placed on it" Faith smiled at the memory, and yet her gaze was serious. "I was not an item to be purchased and used. I was, I am, a person. As are you. Abuse is, in my mind, anything which either treats you as though you are not a person, or makes you believe you are not." Looking down at her hands, she sighed slightly. "It took me a long time to not think of myself that way."

If she was entirely honest, sometimes she still did.

She checked, after she had answered, if that made sense to him, if he had further questions. When he did not he moved on to the next question. Why him. That one caused Faith to smile. "Because it came to my attention," Faith said, looking at him calmly. "That there was a human being being treated in a way which is not acceptable. So, I acted." She listened to his next question, which was part of this one, really, and Faith breathed in, considering her answer.

When she spoke, her voice was soft. Almost whispering, she explained. "I was sold at three breaks old and trained in the harshest regime Athart had to offer. I referred to myself as 'this slave', had no name. Slept on the floor, ate on the floor." Her expression was carefully neutral, but her fingers pressed together till the pads turned white. "My body was a map of the abuse I had experienced, scars all over." There was no sense of self-pity from her. In fact, her next words gave a context which, perhaps, might be surprising. "I would not change any of it. It made me who I am, and I am loved by the best man on Idalos." Emotion shone in her eyes as she said that.

"It is important, to me, that you understand this, so please forgive my long explanation. I am not a goddess, nor am I a worker of miracles. I am a woman who was born into slavery, sold by parents who did not want two children, and so sold the twin on the left. I have been shaped by that, it is true." She shrugged slightly. "So often, in this world, there are people who speak but do nothing. Who bemoan slavery exists, who decry it. But they don't do anything about it." Just the slightest shake of her head accompanied those words. "And then, there are those whose previous experience weighs them down, like blocks of metal tied round them in the ocean and they drown in hate and pain." Faith looked at Ezner and tried to explain what was - to her - a very obvious thing.

"People hurt me, they abused me and treated me in a way they should not have. If I carry hate or pain or anything negative in me because of that, I allow them to continue to hurt me. I'm not special. I have never been special. As a slave, I chose to try and be the best slave I could be. To serve my owner to the very utmost of my ability, in order to be able to be who I am, an individual in control of myself." That had been true of her then, and, as she explained, not so much had changed. "Now, I am a free woman and I choose to try and be the best person I can be. To serve every being to the utmost of my ability." She shrugged slightly. "I was once given the task of separating out salt and pepper, both of which had been ground, into two piles. From a bucket, half full of the mix - to teach me that I had no worth. It seemed impossible, but I did it." A slight smile lifted her face. "I've been told lots of things are impossible. Freeing the slaves on Scalvoris, medical things, being free. All impossible. But I've done them. They are all free, yes. Your mother included. If you give me her name, I'll let her know where you are, and arrange for you to meet when you're able to leave here?"

Faith looked down at her hands, then, and she spoke softly. "Can I free all the slaves? That's my intention," she said and she smiled slightly. "Though, they tell me it's impossible. But yes. Not anyone special or different, just determined and not willing to give in. My husband would, I am sure, have a different name for it. Yet, it was to him I ran the night nearly four arcs ago when I was first free." Sometimes, Faith thought, she forgot just how short a time it had been. But, how could he help? Faith shook her head. "How you can help is not mine to determine. It is yours. For now, you can rest and heal, be patient while we make sure things are safe. Then, you can learn and live. Be the best person you can be and, however you choose to, pay forward any kindness you can." Gesturing around, she seemed to indicate something outside of the room. "There is always a lot to be done and willing help is always gratefully received. But first, you must heal and then." She locked eyes with him and said, most sincerely. "Then, it is your life to live how you see fit. As a free man."

[Ezner]

There was so much to take in.

Ezner finished his soup, reaching to sip at his tea, only now realising as he moved that when Faith had used her glowing Moseke magic on him, his ribs no longer hurt. Once that had been noticed, he twisted his torso just to double check, his mouth agape in awe. This was his first time having seen anything magical. If it had been shown by any other than Faith, he would've likely been freaking out. But since this was her, it made sense and she had done a kindness toward him with it.

Mr. Dey was in jail. Ezner wasn't sure who his associates might be, but they seemed to be away too. And when she gave her definition of abuse, through the easy to follow example from her life, he began to see that Rharne's laws, at least the very few he knew about, did not make sense to him. They certainly didn't seem to be in agreement with what Faith felt the definition of abuse was. If Rharne thought of abuse the same was as Faith, then slavery would be abuse.

Ezner still wasn't entirely certain what it meant to be a person, free or otherwise. Having emotions and desires... these were so new to him. What did being a person mean? Had he always been a person? Was he one now? Or becoming one? Faith thought that she hadn't been a person before, but now knew that she always had been. She told her story, and he could see bits of his own story in there. He only had a name because he was enslaved alongside his mother, and she hadn't been born a slave like him. He was covered in scars received in his time. He also knew there were many others out there that bore scars he had given, in fights he wished he'd never been a part of.

And now he knew that Faith was no different than he. And he believed her. He had asked 'Why me?' because he didn't think himself to be special. But not being special, maybe that was something powerful in its own right. She had figured out what she wished to be, and she became it. She figured out what she wanted to do, and she did it. Ezner was good at following directions and orders. He just needed to figure out how to give them to himself.

As a free man.

His face paled, as that thought sounded daunting and impossible. Faith said she had done the impossible several times. Had she felt this way? His stomach was roiling in nerves. He'd never been in control of anything in his life before, and suddenly he'd be in control of everything? It was a lot. How did anyone know where to start in their life?

Especially if they didn't know how their life really started.

"I... don't remember her name."

His words were soft, sad but resigned as an event long since passed, "She told me she had come from a place called Desnind. A pirate stole her from the beach there, and that's when she became a slave. He's my father, dead now. My mother was owned by his wife, in Almund. Her name..." He couldn't remember it. As far as he'd known, he name was Ma'am or Miss. "I don't remember her name. I was sold off when I was young. I remember the house, run down, cold and drafty, five doors down from a mean fish monger."

When Faith had said she would do the impossible to free all the slaves, he believed her. He would help her do this. He believed himself. And he knew that he would need to heal and rest as she said, and he was pleased that she offered it as a choice. He didn't have to rest, not if he didn't want to.

But he was tired, and did wish to rest.

He set his empty tea down on an empty tray of dishes, setting it on the side table. "Thank you. I..." There were no words. He didn't know how to say the impossible of what she'd done for him. "Thank you, Faith."

He leaned back against the headboard, it was so much to take in. His entire world was shifting around him, and he was barely holding onto the sheets of a bed that was actually clean. The first clean bed he'd slept in. Beds hadn't exactly been common in his life either.

He had learned just how much he and Faith had in common, and he had one question for her, something he could only ever ask another slave. Former slave. "What do you... do, when resting as a free woman?" Ezner didn't wish to put words to the rest of the question.

What do people do other than staring at their hands? Other than staring at the door, waiting on their owner to give them orders?

[Faith Augustin]

In a way which very few people ever could, Faith understood how overwhelmed Ezner must be feeling. She nodded, when he said that he didn't remember her name. "I'll do my best," Faith said softly. "To find her. That information is more than we've had to go on previously, and people have been reunited." She would, indeed, do her best, but there were no promises. They both knew that. But there was hope.

And then, he asked her a question which gave her pause. How did she rest, as a free woman?

Faith smiled slightly, then she moved. First she sat on the bed opposite him, sitting cross legged and looking at him. Then, she reached forward and took hold of his hands. Very gently, very calmly. Her hands held on to his in a supportive, quiet, non-demanding way. If he wished to pull his hands out of her, then there would be no response, nothing negative from her.

"I'm twenty two arcs old," Faith said. "Just last season, was my birth-trial. I only found out how old I am, when Vri marked me." She smiled slightly. "I can not ever forget anything, now." It was a blessing, true, but sometimes, it was hard. Looking at Ezner, Faith wondered whether she should say what her answer was. But, she was nothing if not truthful and, he'd asked.

"I don't really know how to rest," she said softly. "It isn't something I'm very good at. People tell me I've achieved a lot, I think it's because I'm afraid of being still." Looking down at her hands, she saw his there and she breathed in, then spoke. "When I was first free, I ran to the man who is now my husband. He took me in and gave me space. As much as he tried to, I insisted on cooking, to keep myself busy." She smiled in reminiscence. "Then, in case someone was tricking me, I spent a very little bit of money, just to test that I could." Shaking her head slightly, Faith lifted her silver eyes to gaze at him.

"And then, I bought a spelunking kit." Her voice was totally deadpan but her eyes shone with something resembling mirth. "I still have never used it, but I thought, what if one trial, we fell down a cave?" A smile lit her expression. "And a carpenters kit." Silver eyes regarded him, roaming over his face as she willed him to understand.

"Resting means not doing. Not working. Not serving. It means being selfish." Her expression grew more serious then, and she tried to explain. "Eventually, I have started to realise that by not ever stopping, by trying to do everything and take each responsibility as my own, I drive myself into the ground." Her voice dropped to near-whispering as she said that. "And then, after starting to realise that, I began to understand that I have worth to people. Not as a healer or a chef, not as a seamstress or a philanthropist." Faith lifted her gaze upwards, meeting his again. "Not even as a saviour or worker of apparent miracles. As a mother. As a wife. As a person. Realising that I have worth, just for being me?" Her shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. "It changed my life. But it took a long time. Once that had happened, I began to understand that resting is important. Not just to heal a body so it can work again, or help a mind recover so that it can be strong." No. She finally started to understand that resting was important because she was.

But, she also knew something else.

"It took me a long time to realise that, and there's no time frame. So, don't rest if you feel you can't. Learn. Learning of all kinds is open to you here. There are books and people who will help you grow stronger. There is food and warmth and acceptance. Learn. Then, when you have your new home and your new life, you can be helpful." She smiled and her hand patted his. "I cooked and healed and did everything I could. Resting, as a free woman? I'm not entirely sure, Ezner." Faith had no problem with that. It was a slow and lonely road that they were on, the two of them, and Faith did not doubt that she was nowhere near as far along it as she seemed to be. "I'm still learning that bit. Thankfully, while I do learn, the people who love me still love me, those who like me, continue to like me. In the meantime?" Shoulders lifted. "I'll buy spelunking kits just in case."

Off Topic

Faith has deducted 40 WP from her ledger.
~~ 38 WP for a Tier 7 house: A Tier 7 building includes one small room, three average rooms, and three large rooms with good-quality furnishings. Tier 7 buildings are big in size and are much more complex, not only in design but in aesthetics. They have an ample amount of room to live in, even with a big family. They are usually located within the upper-middle-class districts of a city.
~~ 2 WP for 2 acres of land.
This will be Ezner's next season.
She has also deducted 6 WP from her ledger.
~~ this is for Ezner's purchase, and all legal fees. If it costs more, please let me know and I'll deduct it. Thanks!

[Pig Boy]

Gennadiya

Experience: 15 no magic xp

Knowledge: Surgery x 3, Medicine x 3, Caregiving x 4

Renown: 10

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Loot/Losses: none

Injuries/Conditions: none

Consequences: none

Ezner

Experience: 15 no magic xp

Knowledge:

Endurance: Staying at least somewhat conscious is important to recover from a concussion.
Endurance: Accept the blows that land on your body, and keep moving.
Combat (Unarmed): It's difficult to administer a choke hold when theh opponent's chin is tucked.
Combat (Unarmed): Grappling from a man's back comes with it's share of hazards.
Combat (Unarmed): Footwork needs to be both precise and swift.
Combat (Unarmed): Getting knocked to the ground often leads to a grappling/ground fight.
Psychology: Slave mindset can persist well beyond the winning of freedom.
Politics: Slavery is on the verge of illegalization in Rharne.

Renown: 5

Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Loot/Losses: Tier 7 home with 2 acres of land in any city that Ezner wishes to settle down in.

Injuries/Conditions: All better now

Consequences: Ezner has been freed from slavery, and acquires a new home which Faith has bought for him.

Comments: Although this sequence began with a serious intervention, I'm really proud of the way you all have carried forward with it, and made a beautiful story out of it.

Ezner, you are a very good writer, and I'm so glad you decided not to retire your pc through this situation. You play Ezner so wonderfully, with a lot of thought and care and emotion, all essential elements to a good, sympathetic character.

I very much enjoyed Faith's part in this as well, as she opened up in a way with Ezner that I've rarely seen her do with many others. Perhaps because of their shared background, she felt safer to share, or perhaps she is just that sincere to share her story with him, to let him know what is possible. Either way *chef's kiss*.

VIvian was decisive and swept into action as you would expect only Vivian to do. Like a lightning bolt she acted on the information, apprehending the involved individuals and the entire network of people involved in pitting slaves in fighting rings across the city.

Gennadiya's part in the beginning was very nice as well, and I like how you segued into Ezner's part in the story with a scene of Gennadiya acting as a midwife. She's a wonderful healer, and it's a pleasure to see her at work helping people in the Order. I'm sure she'll make a good head of the Rharne Branch.

I will soon make an announcement about Ilaren's stand on slavery in Rharne. Expect big waves to be made, and a trial will of course be upcoming for Ezner and the other slaves' tormentors.

Thank you all for your patience.

If you have any concerns about this review, please PM me about them.