"Here you are."

The barmaid sat the meal in front of her with two small bowls, one of mashed potatoes and one of finely shredded chicken, off to the side. Lydie thanked her, took Kenth off the floor, and dug in. Given the fact that her substantial hunk of chicken was beautifully prepared on a colorful ceramic plate while the other patrons ate meals served on tin with no effort put towards presentation, Petrin clearly appreciated her willingness to go for out of the ordinary. Honestly though, Lydie didn't taste the first slices. Her body craved sustenance, not flavor. Lydie's mouth rejoiced, however, when half her meal was gone. The rich juices of the meat somehow blended in harmony with the sweet tang of the capper apples and parlets. Her stomach finally silenced at the food proving to be light yet hardy. Dizziness vanished from her head while the weaving of music into the chatty atmosphere now calmed her.

If only the men would stop staring. Lydie avoided their gaze wholeheartedly, yet she could feel their eyes constantly shifting in her direction. They spoke as grandly with their hands as grandly as they spoke with their mouths. Perhaps it was her imagination, but some gestures didn't look highly appropriate. Lydie wished to enjoy her meal. All she felt was unease. The remnants on her plated were eaten quickly, and Kenth thankfully devoured his food as well. A groan echoed in her head when the barmaid arrived with a slice of nut and cream pie. She just wanted to leave.

"Something wrong?"

Apparently, her emotions were written plainly on her face. The barmaid offered concern, and Lydie saw no reason to deny it.

"Those three men at that table over there keep staring." she explained with a subtle nod.

The barmaid cared nothing for being subtle. Her narrowed glare found the men in an instant, and they failed to give off an air of innocence as they avoided the scrutiny. The woman clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"We never had so many of these problems until the war started. Now such scums from up on the northern border are fleeing south. Tensions with Mescaria in the past have made it so the Crown can't fully enforce the Justiciar's will all the way up there. The people are lax in their faith and in deserved punishments, so when they mooch off us here they don't think twice about changing their ways. Those three especially have been bothering people in the several weeks they've been here. Don't you worry though, hun. I'll give them a smack if they won't stop staring, and Vertinac will be on their asses if they try to do anything. Then he'll get guards to be on their asses after he's done with them. He doesn't have any tolerance for those who hurt women."

"Thank you." Lydie expressed gratefully.

"It's no problem. Now, you go on ahead and enjoy your pie."

Lydie did so. The barmaid went over to the men, took none of their lies as she reprimanded them, and walked off with her head held high while the men kept their noses hunched over their plates. Kenth sat on her lap picking every little last piece of diced parlet from her plate while Lydie savored her pie. She finished her third glass of water, wrapped the bread in a napkin, and let Kenth bounce to the music. An empty space near the band provided a dancing area. A slightly drunk couple twirled without a care in the world while a heavily drunk pair of two men failed to capture that same grace as their also inebriated companions cheered them on. For a most wonderful moment in time, Lydie laughed with the others watching the entertainment. She was no different from them.

By the time she returned to her room, glittering stars completely dominated the cloudless night. Kenth retained enough energy to crawl about and yank himself standing again using the bedsheets. Lydie prepped a bath, waited until he soiled his diaper, wiped him clean, and then sunk the two of them into the water. To her surprise, Kenth squirmed quite a bit. She'd done her best not to make the temperature too hot, yet now he fussed uneasily in her arms as they washed. She eventually created a cushion out of a towel on which to place him near the tub when he was cleaned. He rolled happily in the soft cloth then, and Lydie soaked until warmth left the water. She dried, braided her hair, and dressed in the very same nightgown in which she'd been found. None of her blood had dirtied it, but Ti'pahn had made sure to have it thoroughly cleaned. She entertained Kenth with games and songs made up on the spot until they both grew weary once more. A cot had been brought in at some point while they dined, although Kenth whined and squealed in it until Lydie placed him by her side on the bed. He fell asleep instantly, several fingers in his mouth, and Lydie wrapped her hand around his other as rest found her as well.

~~~~~~~~~~

Lydie's fingers smoothed the hem of her dress. Today's ensemble was majorly blue with a white, filly neckline. Kenth stood grasping onto the edge of the bed again in a shirt of pale yellow. He'd just been changed after soiling his diaper after his breakfast from one of the glass jars of mushed food Ti'pahn provided. He wouldn't go hungry for the week. No pain in her own stomach bothered her as it had last night...at least for now. The bread eaten a moment ago kept her content, and, if everything went well, then by tonight she wouldn't have to worry about rationing nourishment. Morning sunshine streaming in cheerfully offered an optimistic outlook. Down the steep stairs Lydie now journeyed with Kenth returned to her back.

"No breakfast?" Vertinac, not as intimidating as he'd been last night, wondered in his gruff voice as she went for the front door.

"We had food of our own that we ate upstairs." Lydie replied brightly.

An impassive grunting noise came from the inn's owner, and she saw no reason to delay her departure. Out into the gracious spring air Lydie stepped. The bright colors and lively atmosphere of Respite Way put an eagerness in her stride- one that almost dissolved the nerves scrunching her chest as she approached the quillick meat seller at the end of the street setting up for the day. Might as well start close.

"We don't open till eleven." the man announced at her presence.

"That's fine. I was actually just wondering...well, I'm new to Rydan and looking for employment. Is there any way I might be able to help you?"

"Can you hunt? Only thing I need right now is more people who can catch the quillicks."

"Um, no," Lydie answered, although perhaps that was false. If only she knew, "I'm willing to learn though."

"No time to train, and that's an even firmer no if you got no one to watch that babe of yours."

"I...I don't."

"Then I'm sorry, lass. You'll have to look elsewhere."

"That's fine," Lydie repeated, "Would you happen to know of any place looking for more workers? It doesn't matter what the job is."

"Not of anything specific besides the city wanting more guards what with so many of the men going off to war. They'll take girls if you've got training, but with the babe..."

"I see. Thank you very much, sir."

The quillick seller gave her a wave as she left. Her chin didn't drop. Much. Someone out there somewhere in the city would find her suitable. A need always remained for arms to work a shovel in the stables or scrub stains out of laundry. Lydie's eyes scoured Respite Way and the adjoining road for other close options. All the other inns lining the road reminded her she hadn't gone with the most obvious option first- checking if the Lavenmore needed assistance. Warming up to Vertinac couldn't be all that painful. Those eyes of hers caught clothing boutiques, tool shops, and stores that sold a bit of everything in her continued search when loud ruckus intrigued her curiosity. A large line of citizens milled about of the sidewalks of the main road when a rhythmic pounding thumped against her chest. Carriages hurriedly pressed themselves to the side as a massive force signaled its passing through the city.

Soldiers. Hundreds of them. Lydie worked her way to the front of the crowd steadily gathering as the neat rows of trained bodies marched north with stoic expressions. Ten in a line with six in a column, blocks of men and scattered women, nearly indistinguishable in armor the color of dark blood ruby red and deep sapphire blue, stepped the echoing beat in perfect unison. Impressive men in decorated uniforms sat atop shiny coated steeds at the front of the procession holding large flags of the Melakir family crest. People around her began to cheer and shout encouragement and well-wishes while Lydie scanned for a familiar face in the never-ending parade. Could Ti'pahn be in there somewhere? It didn't seem likely. Healers surely wouldn't be dressed as soldiers, and as Ti'pahn had told her that he had a miserable sense of rhythm she could not imagine him learning to walk in tandem with dozens of others in less than a day.

Still, her attention focused on thoughts of her friend. It took a man approaching before Lydie noticed as the procession progressed that several soldiers in higher ranking armor walked alongside the lines. One stepped in front of her. Tightening nervously, she stared unblinking into his eyes of cloudy blue. His hair of golden brown shimmered as morning sun's rays crept over the roofs. Lydie panicked as he said nothing before taking her wrist. Scores of others latched their gaze onto the two of them as her notice found another woman in her same position across the street. There another man in the same armor tied something around her wrist while her two young children peered on interested, leaving Lydie's whirring mind cooperating enough to prevent her hand from shaking. What was going on? A strip of fine white silk embroidered with the same shades of blood ruby and dark sapphire now adorned her. What did it mean? What was she meant to do? The soldier presenting the same...present on the other side of the road walked off not too long after completing his supposed task. Lydie took as much of a breath as her stiffened lungs allowed, swallowed to remind her tongue to work, and addressed the soldier who glanced at her expectantly.

"Thank you."

The soldier nodded at her words and small smile. He dipped before her in a subtle bow before taking off to rejoin the march without speaking a single word. The knot in her chest unwound slowly. A nearby man briefly clasped her shoulder in approval and support, one woman made a comment about her taking good care of the soldier, and many eyes continued to rest their sight on the cloth on her wrist. The woman across the street didn't take hers off. Lydie didn't either. Blocks of soldiers marched on and on and on. Those swarming the sidewalk eventually forgot her presence, and Lydie let herself become one of the many faces in the crowd seeing the men and women off to war.