Let Me Not - Part I: Cage of Souls
Asside from everything that had happened to us the weeks before I was amazed to see Selene in that kind of vitality. The only time I'd had a glimpse of that joyful face, just like a kid on a candy store, was when she did indulge in sweets months before when the money streamed like deleur out of the fountain I stood in front of that night. It was a Party. A party only fit for the aristocracy of Alerar. The hostess had been splendid on her presentation, from the beautiful way the food had been placed, to the ornate silk-print invitations.
My mistress received no such thing. During those days I remember she used to bask on free-loading: leeching resources, pleasure, and comfort wherever she could take a bite off it. She refused to relinquish the luxurious lifestyle she had enjoyed so far. Bluntly, she was a brat, I have to love her either way; she and I are one.
Selene sent me a couple minutes prior to fetch her some of that liquid, alcoholic gold humans call deleur. Without knowing any better I discretely submerged a long glass into the bottom of the fountain. Immediately after a thousand instigating glances from people around fell upon me, for a second I felt like a criminal running around naked again. A servant, ironically of a higher end than me modestly grasped my arm, taking the glass from my hand and placing one fresh from his tray instead. Half embarrassed and half pissed I wobbled back to mylady who was sitting a couple dozen yards away in one of the tables in the higher end of the room; Selene had followed me with her eyes through the saloon, witnessing my scene. She forced the glass off my hand and gave me a 'thank you, love' in a tone no more softer than her grasp. After I'd sat down she leaned froward, elbows on table, and began her whispering reprimand.
"I can't believe you just did that."
"I apologize, I didn't know" I answered honestly
"How can you not realize you're not supposed to take from the fountain. Even a chimp would've given into peer preasure."
"What are you talking about?"
"Did you ever see anyone else put their glass in that fountain?" She snapped, "No, you didn't. Know why? Because only the hosts drink from the fountain, and that woman hasn't even done it yet. Maybe if you'd dressed a little bit more nicely you would've passed as a host. Look at your face, can you be more obvious?" she waved at me, turning her face away for a moment, "I wish I could leave you home."
"Well, I- you see. um" I retorted clumsily.
"Why did you even bother walking back here? Didn't you hear me tell you not to?"
"But you didn't say anything!"
"My stare should be good enough, I made a thousand faces, I thought you'd get a hint and walked away- hoped you might've been smart enough to simply walk out of the party all together." She paused for a second and took a deep breath after which her tone shifted from anger to that of disappointment, "And on top of everything you walk back here so everyone can see who you're with. I think Sprite-thgings were supposed to be wise"
"I never said wise meant tactful..."
Ashamed, but above everything, feeling miserable I felt it necessary to defend my blasphemous actions. "Well I think its all silly"
"-What is?" The question escaped her faintly as she clumped on a piece of Reclant Cake.
"Having a fountain of deleur no one can drink off! Do you realize how much that thing is worth?! If I worked from one year I would only be able to make enough gold to buy an two ounces of that thing. Besides, it isn't any better than the crane kind and that one is much less expensive-"
It took me a couple seconds, and Selene's intense stare, for me to measure what I'd just spouted without the decency of whispering. I heard a couple giggles from the two girls who where seated behind us; the stare of their companions burnt through my back. The whispering was the worst, it flew through the air like poison through water that took no time to greatly upset the mistress. Selene slowly pressed her hand against my lap and grasped it as hard as her nails could before breaking, straightened her body toward me and gave me a stare that got its message across.
'Don't open your mouth again or I'll make sure to stitch it shut when we get home'.
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