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Prime brings Aya to Tayane, when he has enough mana for the trip and she's reviewed her old notes about the things she'll need to know. They split up once in town - she speaks a few sentences of Esevi so he'll be able to communicate, and she heads to the market office alone so it doesn't look like he's trying to steal her.
She goes barefoot, blank-heeled.
No time has passed. The fellow behind the counter recognizes her. "What are you doing back here?"
"I claim Aelare's blessing," says Aya firmly. "I want my papers updated."
"Your cart fell into a magic?" surmises the clerk.
"Yes, and I'm -" She lifts her foot to show off her clean heel.
This makes it much easier for the security guard manning the door to knock her over and get her hands and feet in shackles.
They pat her down; they take her necklace, they take the mirror Prime gave her in case she ran into any trouble, they take her holy water and hit her when she tries to speak to Prime or Perinixu for help and she doesn't get any words out. They haul her into a side room.
"AELARE'S BLESSING," exclaims Aya. "Look at my -"
"Wrong province, as of last week," says the clerk. "In Tharlo the gods aren't allowed to steal any recoverable property anymore. Were there any other survivors from the accident?"
Aya stares at him.
He slaps her hard across the face and repeats his question.
Aya murmurs, "No, sir."
-------
She doesn't look like she's pushing a century of age.
No time has passed.
She has - she still has? - her grace, when she's made to shuffle into a different holding pen. But the magic could have done that.
Magics can do anything.
No time has passed.
Magics can do anything. A magic could give her minor augmented abilities. It would be trivially easy to find a new outfit and a necklace and little bottles of water inside one.
Magics have been known to alter memory. They won't give her her belongings back to check to see if the water and the mirror really connect to people on the other ends.
And no time has passed.
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namesthesky
"Sir, if you're referring to the girl who came in claiming Aelare's blessing, that's no longer valid in this province; divinity no longer grants exception to property law."
darkest_evening
"Is it? How interesting. I know a god who would take exception to that."
"Well, sir, if Aelare wants to personally take it up with the Duke of Tharlo that's none of my affair, but for the time being that's the state of it. I looked over her file; she's slaveborn, this outfit bought her a little over a week ago, and her cart overturned into a magic well after the legislative change came into effect."
darkest_evening
There is a crack of lightning. From the sky. Right next to the man. It doesn't make sense for lightning to behave in this manner. There isn't a cloud in the sky, the ground isn't the tallest object. It doesn't make sense. But it is lightning all the same, there is a crack and heat and static and Prime is just looking at him like he's stupid.
"How interesting," repeats Prime.
The man is very alarmed!
"Sir, I can - I can show you the papers and our copy of the news bulletin, if - do you want to buy her? She's assigned and waiting for a new cart but I can pull her from that assignment..."
"Sir, I can - I can show you the papers and our copy of the news bulletin, if - do you want to buy her? She's assigned and waiting for a new cart but I can pull her from that assignment..."
darkest_evening
"I," he says, "take exception to buying her. Because she is free. But if you'd like to challenge that assertion..."
He spreads his arms theatrically.
He spreads his arms theatrically.
The man backs away from Prime.
darkest_evening
Prime smiles. It is not a nice smile. It is quite possibly one of the least nice smiles of all time.
"I thought so. Keys to her chains, if you would please, and if you could just correct any papers that are so very obviously dead wrong. I would be ever so grateful."
"I thought so. Keys to her chains, if you would please, and if you could just correct any papers that are so very obviously dead wrong. I would be ever so grateful."
"Thievery is p-punishable by the amputation of a hand, in Tharlo," squeaks the slaver, edging towards the office.
darkest_evening
"My, is it? Well, if this counts as thievery, then by all means, let me be a thief. I'll be 'stealing' everyone, then."
"S-sir, dozens of people depend on my business - employees and customers -"
darkest_evening
"Poor souls. So inconvenient that you can't keep thinking feeling human beings under your complete control to be beaten, raped, imprisoned, and worked to death. Such a pity. It must be quite trying, I don't know how you'll cope. But, I like to think of myself as a reasonable man, so I will even be kind enough to offer a sum of money to give your employees as their final wages while they find a new career."
"Sir we're not cruel to - I will give her to you if you will go away. One hundred percent off."
darkest_evening
"No, alas, that deal has flown," says Prime. He punctuates it by flying. "You see. I disagree. You hit her. And you keep arguing with me. I don't know how it isn't obvious, but you have exactly zero authority over me. You called me a thief. Now I am one."
The man starts running away.
darkest_evening
Sigh.
"Hey, Aya," he calls. "If tattoos were removed magically, would that count under Aelare's blessing? If the law hadn't been changed."
"Hey, Aya," he calls. "If tattoos were removed magically, would that count under Aelare's blessing? If the law hadn't been changed."
namesthesky
"It should. I mean - the only magic native to Tayane is the kind you get by falling into magics, so it would have no reason to specify that other kinds shouldn't count."
darkest_evening
"Mmmhm. That seems exploitable. If the law is changed, of course."
namesthesky
"Yeah. Alternately you could try to get us into the nearest province where it does apply before fixing the marks. Or a country that doesn't have slavery."
darkest_evening
"Yes."
He flies up, undoes a section of the awning so he can just float down, and lands neatly among the slaves. His first priority: scoop Aya into a hug.
"Well," he says, actually genuinely pleasant instead of terrifying and addressing the slaves, "Ladies and gentlemen. I have every intention of freeing you. I would like to listen to how you'd like to be freed, such as being taken to a country without slavery, or to a province where Aelare's blessing is valid."
He flies up, undoes a section of the awning so he can just float down, and lands neatly among the slaves. His first priority: scoop Aya into a hug.
"Well," he says, actually genuinely pleasant instead of terrifying and addressing the slaves, "Ladies and gentlemen. I have every intention of freeing you. I would like to listen to how you'd like to be freed, such as being taken to a country without slavery, or to a province where Aelare's blessing is valid."
namesthesky
Aya hugs him as best she can what with her hands being attached to each other. There is compensatory nuzzling. "He's absolutely trustworthy," she tells the others, when they seem nervous.
"How would - we get anywhere?" wonders one of the slaves.
"How would - we get anywhere?" wonders one of the slaves.
darkest_evening
"I am excessively magic. I think with Aya's necklace we might be able to all hold hands and fly out of here or something. Or I just am a very scary individual at anyone who tries to stop us while you walk merrily there. Either."
namesthesky
"We have to be less chained to the wall, first, and they took my necklace - and my mirror and my holy water."
darkest_evening
Is that an eye twitch? That is an eye twitch.
"Pity I'm not breaking everything. I would be very good at it right now. I even have scrolls. But the chains are easy to fix, and the necklace, mirror, and holy water is-" Scry? "In a drawer in the office, I can retrieve those without issue."
"Pity I'm not breaking everything. I would be very good at it right now. I even have scrolls. But the chains are easy to fix, and the necklace, mirror, and holy water is-" Scry? "In a drawer in the office, I can retrieve those without issue."