Once an isolated and dying township, an influx of academics, adventurers and thrill seekers have made Scalvoris Town their home. From scholars' tea shops to a new satellite campus for Viden Academy, this is an exciting place to visit or make your home!
It had been three days. Weep was sequestered in the back of the work room in a bare cage, hissing and spitting and blowing raspberries every time Kalypso passed by. The little girl was gloomy and paranoid. The awnings seemed to tower over her, while every creak in the floor board was enough to set her nerves on edge. She was behind the counter working on a tear in some of her own clothes, practice for now. A chime of a bell alerted her to two customers coming in the shop. Juniper motioned from the back, eyes red with the wine and sewing pins sticking from her mouth, “Take their order for me, like I showed you-- now detail it well.”
From behind the counter Kalypso nodded and drew out from a drawer some parchment and a quill for her annotations. After greeting the men and hearing their request to be measured for a jacket, she took first their coin and then began arranging the pair. “Don't mind me too much, sirs.”
She said as she withdrew a roll of measuring tape from her pocket and took their numbers down. The tailoring went for a word, poorly, because she was too busy writing down what she could understand about their conversation.
“You know, you could always ask The Owl if your wife is cheating on you or not. He knows all sorts of rumors.”
The other man considered this, then replied, “Yes, but how do you find him?”
And the first man took a lower conspiratorial tone, waving Kalypso away. “Give us a moment, girl.”
She was flustered at first as the first man leaned in, she strained her ears and inched closer herself, this is what she heard, “It’s a cottage out in the western residential area, there’s no sign out front but instead a stone owl in the garden. Just go right in.”
Kalypso couldn’t believe it. Hastily she took down the rest of their measurements, then rolled the parchment up, and ushered them out of the store. She would be off in a few short breaks; if Kalypso was lucky she could lie about heading out to the library and find The Owl. ****
After cleaning up for the day she headed into the back of the shop to get to her room. Weep said nothing but stared at her with her piercing yellow eyes, lips not moving and yet seemingly silently cursing her. But it wasn’t Kalypso’s fault! How could it be? Here she was still helping the slave for what? Sticking her neck out on the line for almost no reason at all. She always liked Weep, who like her name always seemed so sad. The tunawa had been here longer than she and although they rarely talked, she always seemed nice enough. Weep had never been one to really act out either, this whole scenario was wrong. But just to be devil’s advocate she would search this out, at least one of them maybe would have freedom. And if she had to save her neck by double crossing Weep even in the end, she would. So far Juniper had spared the lashing but her punishments were always cruel and unusual when they seldom occurred.
Putting on a black dress, wide brimmed hat, scarf, and her boots she headed for the door, only to be accosted by the wine-drunk Juniper. “Kalypso, where do you think you’re going?”
She sputtered, blowing a puff of a cigarette from the end of her long holster. It was the beginning of the night and she could barely stand. “I’m headed out to get some books.”
Replied Kalypso smally, not meeting the other woman in the eyes.
She looked sloppy, she always did after hours, and her eyes were deep red from the drinking. It embarrassed Kalypso so much to see her and on some level deepened the hate she had for the woman. In some ways, moments like this she would rather be in the streets than get belittled and shamed by this drunk. Juniper, her surrogate mother, considered this and then blew her smoke in the girl’s face before saying, “Well be careful out there, weirdo’s and thugs. Hm.”
Kalypso shook her head, mouthing to herself, before heading through the woman’s path and into the line of sight of Weep. She sat defeated, no longer shaking the bars or cursing in her language, not making eye contact with Kalypso. Kalypso paused there like she was about to say something before shaking her head and moving on. She took to the streets somberly, with purpose, into the coming twilight. It was so important she got back on time and she headed due West towards the residential district with nothing but the parchment from earlier in her pocket to guide her.
Having made it West into the residential area she looked to everyone’s gardens, hoping something would guide her into the door to the... Home? Of The Owl. She wasn’t sure what to expect really. She certainly wasn’t expecting the mundane looking stone owl, weathered with time in a patch of tulips. Nor did she expect to be accosted by a man with a feather in his hat when she entered the door. “Closed I’m afraid.”
He said with an eye on her, all around her were shelves and shelves of books. Kalypso was staring at them, breathing in the odor of candle wax and dust when he repeated himself, “Lass, best be going now. On with you.”
Gathering herself she said, “I need to speak with The Owl.”
Whoever that was. He pursed his lips and said, “Fine, one moment.”
Then left deeper into the building. She heard men exchange words before a much older man came out and introduced himself. “Not often do we get such young company, what is it you need for my service child? I can’t imagine you have much to pay. Who sent you?”
She took him in for a moment, elderly and studious looking, but not her grandfather-- she had no trust or other feelings for him. “Well,”
Started the girl, taking a gulp and getting a firm grip on herself. “I was sent by the Tunawa Weep, she said you would know about Claude. I don’t have any payment for you though.”
And in a weird turn of events he laughed, catching her totally off guard. “Yes, of course she does. It’s no wonder I don’t return to that haberdashery. Last time I did she was yelling and squalling. You tell Weep if she wants to know anything I need her to do something for me. I know she is enslaved, but I think, through deduction, the times are changing. Bring her here yourself and I will give you the information that you seek. But I need this from her first, a book-- they have it in the Scholar’s Nook. I don’t care how you get it, I just want it. ‘True Accounts from Scalvoris Jungle’ You hear me little girl? Oh I can’t believe she’s done this.”
Kalypso wasn’t sure what he meant by some of his tone but she nodded and fingered the note in her pocket. “Now go, be out of my sight. I have much writing to do tonight and my understudy is busy too.”
With that Kalypso left and with enough time left to take a trip to the library before returning, she would not be caught this time for her actions on the behalf of the slave Weep.
It seemed like an eternity she waited for her surrogate mother to finally pass out from her wine drunken stupor. She needed to much luck at this moment she donned three pairs of socks to stay quiet and just hoped that Juniper was passed out enough that she wouldn’t hear any creaking boards. Kalypso was being kept in a barren cage just paces away from the door to Juniper’s room, waking her would be a disaster. But still against her better judgement, she crept up to the cage and roused Weep from her slumber, “Please, before you start being rude, just listen.”
And Kalypso hastily whispered what The Owl had said to her. Weep chuckled, then began to cry. “Please help free me, I’m begging you. I will do whatever it takes, just stop this madness. I want to be free.”
That was the exact moment Kalypso first saw Weep as a person. Someone at the end of their rope, someone she could relate to. She felt the same way. Wishing to hug her but unable, Kalypso threaded her fingers through the bars of the cage. “Whatever I have to do, I will do it. How do we break you out?”
They talked in some length about stealing the keys but eventually came to the conclusion to pilfer some more wire and allow Weep to create another lockpick, one that Kalypso would keep in her room alone, there would be no more stories on this night. They decided that tomorrow they would break her out and head to the Scholar’s Nook to find this book and do what they had to do to seal their fate.
