Part 8 (1/2)

Rina giggled nervously at the idea. Adesina a.s.sumed an expression of polite incredulity, all the while wondering what kind of a world she had entered.

Gainor tossed her hair contemptuously. ”Do not be ridiculous, Deasa. Only Outsiders permit those kinds of fas.h.i.+ons.”

Rina glanced at Adesina with an alarmed look in her eyes. ”Not that we would think such things about you, Adrie. We are pleased to see that you have a proper sense of decorum.”

Deasa decided it was time for a change of subject. ”Where in the north do you come from, Adrie?”

Adesina shrugged casually. ”Our tribe was nomadic, so we traveled quite a bit. Have you always lived in the High City?” she asked, s.h.i.+fting the focus away from herself.

Gainor snorted in disgust. ”Goodness, yes! The same old city for sixteen years. My parents would have a stroke at the very idea of leaving the city walls!”

Adesina smiled softly as Gainor continued to chatter. She had no problem carrying the conversation by herself, but she was occasionally aided by Deasa. Rina said very little and Adesina said even less. When questioned, the young s.h.i.+mat found that a simple vague comment would turn the conversation back over to Gainor. For this reason, Adesina could tell that Gainor would be a valuable companion in the coming months.

Near the close of an hour, there was a quiet knock at the door and Jelana entered the room. Gainor hastily sat up and smoothed the skirt of her dress.

”All right, girls, that is enough visiting. Adrie still needs to finish unpacking, and she could also use some rest after her long journey.”

The girls seemed reluctant to go, but they all stood and straightened their clothing primly. Rina looked at Adesina with a hopeful expression on her face. ”Will you be attending school?”

Gainor gave her a condescending glare. ”Of course she will be attending school! It is the city requirement, Rina.”

Rina flushed in embarra.s.sment. ”Oh.”

Inexplicably, Adesina felt the urge to comfort this painfully shy girl. ”I have never attended a formal school before. Will you show me around tomorrow?”

Rina smiled gratefully as Gainor launched into raptures over the idea.

”Oh, yes! What fun it will be! You will love our school. We have the best teachers in the city, and everyone is so friendly. We will be quite the center of attention, you know. We have not had a new student in ages!”

Deasa smiled in genuine pleasure. ”We will meet you on the street tomorrow morning and we can walk together. We are all neighbors, you know.”

Adesina nodded and waved as the girls walked out of the room. Instead of getting back to her unpacking, she stood at the window to eavesdrop on what they were saying as they walked away.

Deasa was the first to speak. ”Well, she seems very nice.”

Gainor broke over her with an enthusiastic objection. ”Nice? Why, she is absolutely adorable! And so pretty as well! She will make a nice addition to our group. How shocking to be friends with an Outsider! Everyone will be talking about us, and quite jealous that they were not friends with her first!”

Adesina could see them making their way down the path and into the street. Their voices were starting to fade.

Deasa sighed. ”You know, Gainor, sometimes I think that you view your friends as nothing more than fas.h.i.+on accessories.”

Gainor's indignant response was lost as they walked down the street. Ravi chuckled in amus.e.m.e.nt over her first encounter with girls her own age, but said nothing. Adesina ignored him and thoughtfully turned back to her belongings to finish putting them away. She was surprised to see that her room looked like it belonged to someone. It had a strangely human quality to it.

Some of the decorations she had added herself were merely props. A small statue of a northern deity stood on the desk. An elaborate braid of material was attached to the doorframe, supposedly lending protection from evil spirits. A bunch of feathers hung over her bed to protect her dreams. A thin, silver chain filled with charms and talismans dangled from her windowsill.

All of the things that were truly hers were hidden from sight. Adesina had discovered a highly useful loose floorboard under the trunk. Inside the small compartment she created, she stashed all evidence of her true ident.i.ty.

Just as she was double checking her room to make sure everything was in place, there was a soft knock at the door. Adesina's eyes flashed over her surroundings before answering.

”Come in.”

Jelana appeared. She surveyed the room and looked pleased with what she saw. ”I see you are all settled.”

Adesina nodded meekly. Jelana regarded the young woman before her with a maternal expression. ”We need to go to the Square to get some things for you tomorrow. Is now a good time?”

”Yes, of course.”

Adesina and Ravi followed Jelana down the stairs and out the front door. The sun was past its peak and the beginnings of change were in the air. They walked down the same way that Adesina arrived. Occasionally the curtains in the windows of houses would twitch, revealing curious neighbors. More often than not, people would actually come to their doors to watch the two women pa.s.s. Jelana would greet them all by name, unfailingly polite even though her expression was rueful.

Their residential area was in the southern section of the city. The Square was located against the western wall, almost directly north of the cottage. The business section of the city was separated from the residential by a large garden, almost a park. Adesina followed Jelana through the tidy garden, paying greater attention to her surroundings than she had previously.

The gra.s.s was trimmed very short, making it crackle softly when they stepped on it. The gravel walkways were lined with whitewashed stones, and on the other side of the stones were rows of docile flowers. The shrubbery was pruned into geometric shapes that dotted the landscape in an orderly fas.h.i.+on. Citizens of the High City strolled through the garden at a leisurely pace, nodding to each other with great amounts of dignity.

The two women entered the Square and were greeted by the tall, uniform white buildings. Jelana first led her young charge to a dress shop to purchase some clothing that would better suit the city. The small shop was marked by a simple wooden sign above the door. Jelana walked in without hesitation, and Adesina followed. Ravi sat down just outside the door, not inclined to enter the shop.

It was a good-sized single room, with everything inside whitewashed. Adesina was certain that she would quickly grow tired of all the white. The shop held an elderly man tending to the counter and two younger men sewing busily in the back of the room. The young man with bright red hair looked to be in his mid twenties, and the young man with brown hair appeared to still be in his teens.

The man at the counter greeted them warmly. ”Mistress Jelana, welcome. Surely you have not worn out your dresses already?”

Jelana shook her head. ”No, no, Master Ardley. We are hosting this young woman and she is in need of a school uniform as well as a carpenter's apprentice sash.”

Master Ardley nodded and sized Adesina up. He reached under the counter and pulled out a length of thick white string with regularly s.p.a.ced black marks. The brown-haired young man put aside his sewing and went to stand by the elderly man. As Adesina was measured, Master Ardley would state the numbers and the young man would write them down.

It took only a few minutes, and then the man gestured impatiently to his apprentice. The young man hurried to sort through the shelves of pre-made clothing. He returned with two dresses and matching ap.r.o.ns identical to the ones Gainor and the others had worn. Master Ardley took them as his apprentice hurried off again. With dexterity that belied his aged hands, Master Ardley began hemming the sleeves and skirts of the dresses.

The apprentice returned with several pairs of brown stockings and a dark blue sash with a white circle on the shoulder. When he had deposited these items on the counter, he silently went back to his sewing.

Master Ardley finished his hemming in remarkable time. He folded each article of clothing neatly and wrapped it all in brown paper. When Jelana began pulling out her purse, he held up a weathered hand.

”My wife has been admiring Mistress Eda's new rocking chair.”

Jelana smiled. ”Of course. I will tell Ha.s.s to deliver one to your home.”

She and Adesina gathered up the packages and bid Master Ardley a good day. Ravi shadowed them to their next stop, which was at the cobbler's, and waited just outside his door as well.

It was very much the same by way of conversation. The cobbler, probably only in his early thirties, measured Adesina's feet and came back with a pair of very sensible brown lady's boots. He accepted payment with a lifeless, but extremely polite, smile.

After they had finished making their purchases, Jelana strolled through the Square, showing Adesina around. Most merchants had kiosks set up in the center of the Square, while most artisans ran the shops that made up the border. There were, of course, exceptions. Jelana pointed out a large shop with a lavish display in the window.

”That is Master Lindell's spice shop. He is Deasa's father. He is the most prominent merchant in the High City. Although, he deals quite a bit with Outsiders,” she said in a slightly distasteful voice, as if to indicate that this last fact lessened his prestige.

Adesina looked at the vivid window display and smiled quietly to herself. It seemed a bit bold to have such a display in a city such as this. Jelana averted her eyes as if it were indecent. She sighed and admitted, ”The quality of Master Lindell's spices is much higher than any other merchant's in the city. And his prices are quite reasonable.”

They walked a bit further and Jelana pointed out the shops that they pa.s.sed. ”This is my brother's cooper shop. This is the wainwright's shop. This is a floral shop.”

They pa.s.sed by an understated little shop without comment. Adesina could tell by the window display that it was an apothecary shop, but Jelana acted as if it weren't there.

She slowed her pace. ”What shop is this?”

Jelana reluctantly turned her eyes to the sign above the door. ”That is Mistress Faryl's apothecary shop.”