Gratitudes

Words: 4678
Rating: 8+
Notes: This feels like something I could twist a different way and turn into a longer story, but I just wanted to explore a bit of the life of an “ordinary” person in this verse.  Not really a story, just a snippet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Most days were the same, for Tomasi.

She’d wake up, clean her face, dress in her simple grey uniform. She would plan for breakfast, but never wake up early enough to actually eat it. Slip on her shoes, throw on her fringed cloak, and lock up her apartment. A stop by her neighbor to exchange a bronze coin for a lunch basket, a brief hello to the landlady in the kitchen, a pat on the head for the building’s cat, and then she’d be on her way.

Her path took her uphill, a steep climb that would still make her legs ache now and then, past the houses and apartments and squares of the commons until she was walking past the local temples and merchant homes. She would stop there, ducking into a temple of the Lunar Dancers. Some priestesses nodded a greeting to her, but most of them would be focused on the statues at the far end of the glass-ceilinged chamber as they finished the night’s prayers, or dousing the scented oil lamps and turning the altar coverings to represent Owelin unintentionally blocking the Dancers from the All-Mother.

In the temple, Tomasi would give up another coin to Mel’s altar, with a thought for health and safety in her routine. The middle moon was neither as large as his older sister nor as bright as the younger, and so a good patron for everyday people like her, or so she had always thought. Then she would take off her cloak, flip it, and put it back on. She’d intentionally made the lining of a richer cloth than the outer layer, and paid one of her neighbors to embroider a design of shells onto it. It would never hold up to close scrutiny, but in the early morning and late evening it was enough to keep random minor nobility from thinking her an errand-girl they could boss around.

Then she’d be on her way again, continuing up the hill until she reached the small castle that dominated the city. From listening to noble gossip, this place was small compared to the mainland, but to locals it was more stunning than anything else. The castle’s towers made it possible to see both North and South Docktown, though the mountains to the east and west kept the rest of Pincer Island’s beaches out of sight. Most of the windows had actual glass, and many of them were stained, forming beautiful murals of the island’s history. The servants always looked sharp, and the guards kept their armor polished so that they sparkled like the ocean when the light hit them. The grounds were well-kept, the halls clean, and every room meticulously arranged.

Here Tomasi’s day truly began. She said hello to the guards at the gate- Kien and Zol every two days, Mirenav and the wind-blooded Jensashehal the rest of the time- and head for the servants’ entrance. Her cloak and basket were placed on a shelf just inside the housekeeper’s office, she announced she was there to start the day’s work, the housekeeper made a note in her ledger, and then it was to cleaning.

Mornings were always spent on guest rooms, in rotation, and in the afternoons Tomasi was tasked with cleaning Lady Emerin’s chambers. She found the job interesting, even in its menialities. Guests stayed for weeks at a time, considering passenger boats were much less common than mercantile ones. Tomasi had a chance to learn habits, and see glimpses of noble lives. A duke’s cologne would be weaker the day after a fight with his duchess, as she would make him find other lodgings. A delayed princess made her ladies-in-waiting nervous, and her cosmetic powders weren’t sealed properly. Torn and undelivered letters lay scattered under desks, troublesome news ended in lumped-up blankets, broken hearts left a stillness in a room.

It made the nobility seem even more surreal, to her. Even with all of their politics and learning, they still had everyday worries. Sometimes she tried to imagine a fancy lady in silks and manners, sitting with her scuffed and tumultuous neighbors around a dinner table. Such a ridiculous picture always made Tomasi giggle, a brief reprieve from the monotony of scrubbing and washing and making notes on a slate of furniture and furnishings that craftsmen might have to repair.

Sometimes though, she couldn’t just laugh it off. Once, when she’d first been promoted to cleaning Lady Emerin’s chambers, there had been a strong smell of burnt fabric in the room. She swept the fireplace out, and managed to find a scrap of bloodied cloth that hadn’t been survived. There had been more blood in the washroom, and some on the mattress under the blankets. The day after, she’d brought a packet of tea meant to help with monthlies, and hidden it under Lady Emerin’s pillows. Another time the mirror had been smashed, and some of the lady’s gowns were angrily stained with make-up powders. Tomasi left a note that time, suggesting that the lady request more neutral powders be bought, so that her gowns could stand out without having to be matched to. She couldn’t be sure if that actually helped, but she had seen paler powders a few weeks later.

There were plenty of incidents like that, and a few times that she’d found evidence of a crime in a guest’s chambers and reported them to the housekeeper so she could tell the guards. Mostly she only went out of her way for Lady Emerin though, as a happy lady meant easy work to end her day with.

Once the lady’s rooms were clean, she would check around if any of the other servants in the wing needed help- dusting around trinkets, fluffing curtains, polishing the stone floors to a shine- and then at sunset her day was over. She’d tell the housekeeper she was leaving, put her cloak back on, tuck her basket over her arm, and leave.

The walk home went much quicker. It was easier to jog down the hill than walk it. She would stop at the temple once more, offer a prayer of gratitude, and switch her cloak. Sometimes she bought food from the closing shops, a cheap loaf of bread and the last fresh bit of fruit, some oddly-cut meat scraps, and other such remnants. Other times she would just go immediately home, knowing that her landlord liked making large dinners and there would probably be something she could have.

A pause at the gate to talk to anyone walking by, a quick hello to her neighbors working in their building’s small garden, and then in to her own apartment. She’d leave the door open while taking care of her chores, if anyone wanted to stop and chat. Then a quick wash of her face, a change of clothes, and to bed, to repeat it all the next day.

Excepting feasts and her two days off in a month, Tomasi’s days never changed. Until one especially stormy summer, when she was 26.

She knocked on Lady Emerin’s door, as she always did, but she was so used o it being empty that she already had it open before registering that there was an answer this time. She froze in the doorway as she realized that the room wasn’t empty. There was someone in the bed, and someone else sitting in a chair next to it.

“Who’s there?” the lady in the bed asked, her voice barely audible.

Tomasi curtsied as best she could with just one hand, the other holding a bucket of soapy water. “I’m the maid, m’lady. I’m sorry for the intrusion, I’m used to no one being here. I can leave-”

“No. You may as well do your work.” The lady sat up. Her dark hair was slick with sweat, loosely piled on top of her head. She wore a nightgown still, and her skin was paler than a noble’s usually was. “I am Emerin, and this is Linial, one of my ladies-in-waiting. She is keeping me company today.”

Linial nodded, her sky-blue curls bouncing around her head. “Do what you can around us.”

“Yes ma’am.” Tomasi set her bucket down and wrung out one of the cloths floating in it, starting at the writing desk as she always did. She carefully moved the papers on top, not even glancing at them even though normally she couldn’t help her curiosity. She carefully wiped down the desk, nervous as she felt Linial and Emerin’s eyes on her.

They grew bored after a few minutes though, her efforts apparently allaying their suspicions, and by the time Tomasi had moved to the vanity, the two had resumed the conversation she had interrupted. They were talking about delayed ships, their voices anxious. She heard the words “fiance” and “negotiations”, though the two spoke so softly she couldn’t be sure who said what.

Once she had rounded the room to get all of the furniture, Tomasi gently rolled up the rug so she could start sweeping. She paused though, as Emerin spoke to her again.

“What is your name?”

She curtsied properly as she answered. “Tomasi, my lady.”

“And you always clean here?”

Her heart was in her throat. Had she done something wrong? “Yes ma’am. Every day, except two times a month, or the rare occasion you tell the housekeeper not to send me here.”

“See? I told you, Linial, it must always be the same staff.” Emerin’s voice was excited.

Linial sighed the sigh of someone who knew her defeat would never be forgotten. “So you did.” She stood up, patting her skirt to make sure her crinoline was straight. “Do you require help at all, Tomasi?”

Her eyes widened, and she took a step back. “No, no! Of course not. I could never ask a noble to do my job, besides, I’m almost done, and it’s nothing at all for me to do this anyways, since I know it’d have been done thoroughly the previous day-”

Again, Emerin cut her off. This time it was with a raspy, dry laugh that turned into a coughing fit. Linial turned to her immediately, kneeling on the bed with her hand hovering over Emerin’s back in case the coughing turned into a choke.

Once she recovered, Lady Emerin was nothing but smiles. “She didn’t mean with your work. More- do you need a favor, or money?”

Tomasi shook her head quickly. “Your family pays their staff well enough, my lady!” Truthfully, she could use some more money, but she also wasn’t in danger of being kicked out of her home, so she could get by. “Besides, I haven’t done anything at all for such.”

Linial and Emerin shared a look, but Emerin merely shrugged. “I believe you have, over the years. It has been years, hasn’t it? You have been here since I was a teenager? Probably since both of us were, you look close to my age.”

“I suppose that must be the case.” Hesitantly, Tomasi fetched her broom from where it leaned on the wall. She didn’t want to appear rude, but she felt much less odd if she continued her job while talking to these two. “My mother worked here in the castle, and I started when I was ten, in the kitchens. I believe I was fifteen when I got put here.”

Emerin nodded, then motioned Tomasi to approach. She did so, standing at the foot of the bed, but Emerin continued to wave. “Come sit down!” she insisted. Tomasi obeyed, going to the side opposite of Linial, and perching on the edge of the bed. “Since you have taken such good care of me, I think you should know-”

“Miss!” Linial hissed, tensing up. “Should you really tell her? For all you know, the staff will find out by the end of the day!”

Tomasi tightened her grip on her broom, trying not to let her irritation show. She would never spread gossip, otherwise she wouldn’t have this job!

Thankfully, Lady Emerin seemed to know that. “My maid is discreet. We have years of evidence for that,” she said. She shimmied out from under her blankets, sitting up on her knees and leaning forward excitedly. “I am engaged, Tomasi! It took years, you know, we do not have a lot of political power in the wider world, but. Mother found me a match, and a half-elf second prince from the Eastern Mountains, at that!” Even though she was still clearly ill, her face was alight with excitement, her eyes wide and her voice rushed with glee. “My children might be long-lived enough to do everything they might ever wish, and I might even get to see one of the Order Realms someday. Isn’t that exciting?”

Tomasi didn’t quite understand, as she had never paid much attention to the differences between Mystics or the Realms. When would she ever travel anywhere that saw much of that? Still, the lady’s enthusiasm was infectious, and she found herself grinning as well. “Yes. Seems it’s exactly what you want, m’lady.”

“It is!” Emerin took Tomasi’s hand in both of hers, though her grin faded to a more serious look. “Although this does mean the staff might be cut. Without me, without my ladies-in-waiting, there might be less work. I know Papa was already talking about dropping some staff because there will not be so much need to host events here, without me. I am the last of my sisters to get married, and my brother is too young to be looking for betrothal yet. Do you understand?”

“Oh. Yes, I do.” Tomasi’s voice was distant, her mind whirling as she thought about that. Cut the staff? If there weren’t so many people going through the castle, that would mean fewer maids would be necessary- fewer rooms being used, less cleaning to do. Cooks would be fired as well, and possibly a few groundskeepers, with not so much food needed. And even people in town would be affected, the sweet-makers commissioned for feasts, the tailors and seamstresses that made or fixed gowns and suits for the nobility. There might even be fewer ships coming in, with meant less work for the dockhands.

Troubling information, for sure. It might not be as dire as she imagined, but it would definitely have an effect.

She stood up suddenly, distress making her twitchy. “I beg your pardon, my lady, but I should finish my work. Thank you for talking with me.”

As she left the room a few minutes later, she could barely hear Linial’s hushed scolding. “You shouldn’t have told her! See how she reacted, it’ll be all over-”

She shut the door, closing off Linial’s voice. She hesitated a moment, wondering what she should do. Should she warn her neighbors, or ask if the housekeeper knew?

But no, this wasn’t much different from anything else. She never discussed political intrigues that she stumbled across, or the personal lives of the people she worked for. This was no different, even though it made her sick to her stomach to hide it.

Tomasi took a deep breath, gathered her bucket and broom, and set off to find some of her coworkers. She just had to throw herself into her work, and everything would be better at the end of the day.

Everything felt much calmer as she walked home. Her hands stung from scrubbing a bit too hard at the floors, but otherwise she felt great. She couldn’t really warn anyone else, but at least she knew what was coming, so she could prepare. She just had to save her money a bit more- do her own laundry more often, buy groceries instead of meals, maybe take up a few errands for her neighbors- but she would be fine, and most of the people she knew would be fine, and the town as a whole would be fine. She felt certain of that much, even if things were hard for a few months.

It was only the next morning, packing her lunch, that she found the brooch, and felt her stomach drop.

It was a gorgeous piece, shaped like a butterfly, with jewels covering the wings and the body worked in silver. It was a finer thing than she could ever hope to own, and she felt tense just holding it.

She glanced towards her door and window. Both were closed. No one had seen it yet. She knew this was one of Lady Emerin’s pieces of jewelry, but who would have put it in her basket? Was someone trying to get her in trouble? That didn’t make sense though. No one wanted her job; she kept it through experience at this point, but nobles could be quite finnicky, and the reputation of her position was enough to scare others off even if the reality wasn’t that bad, once you were used to it.

Could the lady have placed it there, for some reason? Or maybe Linial thought her too much of a risk, and wanted to prove her point by forcing it.

Tomasi couldn’t be certain, and only knew that she had to get the brooch back before it was missed. She wouldn’t be able to dig it out of her basket at work without being noticed, so she wrapped it in a handkerchief and tucked it into her pocket for the moment. She was worried it might break, the fine wire-like framing of the wings loosening enough to drop a gem, but it was the best she could do for now.

Her prayer today was to Bel, the youngest of the moons, the one representing special moments. Please let this stay in the dark, she prayed, setting her coin in the copper bowl on the altar. Please.

The morning dragged, her nerves on edge, jumping at every noise. It was a day she was glad most of her work was by herself. Even on her lunch break, she stayed apart, sitting on in a corner of the kitchens instead of at the long tables where the servants typically took their meals and chatted with each other. A few of the other maids came to invite her over, but she fibbed that she wasn’t feeling well, and didn’t want to get anyone ill if she could help it.

Finally, it was the afternoon. Another prayer, sent to any god listening, that Emerin was recovered enough to be gone, and a sigh of relief when she opened the door to an empty room.

Before anything else, Tomasi went to the vanity and opened the drawers there until she found the one full of various pins. Quickly, she unwrapped the butterfly brooch and set it with the others, all of the tension leaving her body as she closed the drawer.

A wave of exhaustion hit her, now that she wasn’t distracted by stress, but there wasn’t much she could do besides finish her work. At the least she’d been able to take care of the problem.

The next evening, the brooch was in her basket again. She jumped up, sending it tumbling off of her lap, the butterfly practically skittering across the floor as if it were alive. Cussing the way her mother had always taught her not to, she fetched the brooch, again tucking it in a handkerchief and then placing it in the pocket of the uniform she would wear the following day.

Mel might get jealous, if this keeps happening, she thought, as she placed her coin on Bel’s altar once more. She glanced towards the statue of the middle Dancer, and inclined her head to him. Please believe I’d rather be over there, but I need your sister’s help too right now.

She felt even more ragged by the afternoon than she had before, as it seemed Emerin’s illness had spread throughout the palace. Multiple visiting nobles were stuck in their rooms, recovering, and either snapping at her as she tried to work or making requests that took her awhile to complete. She had to skip her lunch, as one baron told her to rearrange the entire shelf of books he’d brought with him, and it took her a long time to figure out the flowery titles on many of them.

So Tomasi was hungry and exhausted by the time she knocked on Emerin’s door. As usual, there was no answer, so she entered. She hurried over to the vanity, opened the drawer, and pulled the brooch out of her pocket.

The door thumped to a heavy close.

Tomasi whirled around, her eyes wide, hand tightening around the butterfly, the edges of it digging into her skin. “Lady Emerin! This isn’t- I mean, I thought- um!” She didn’t know what to do. What if she was accused of theft? She’d lose her job, and find it hard to find new work, possibly even be arrested!

Emerin’s expression as gentle as she stepped further into the room. “It is alright, Tomasi. I know you were not taking anything.” She walked over to the vanity, pausing before the maid. “I had the pin given to you.”

“Oh.” Tomasi couldn’t relax, even with that knowledge. “I’m sorry.”

“What for? It is meant to be a thank you, for all your work over the years, and in case you are one of the people Father lets go. I thought it might help, somehow.”

How much to explain? Tomasi bit her lip, and then set the brooch on the desk, instead of in its place in the drawer. “I can not accept this, my lady. It’s too rich.” She kept her eyes down- she was practically calling her lady foolish, and she didn’t dare look at her as she did. “Someone’ll think I took it. People like me, we don’t own gems, we don’t have anything that this would go with. This is not for me.”

“Tomasi…” Emerin’s tone was hard to judge. Was she angry? Surprised? Tomasi couldn’t be sure.

“I’m sorry. I don’t feel well, I’ll clean your rooms tomorrow. Excuse me.”

She fled, stopping only long enough to gather her equipment. She practically ran to the housekeeper’s office, but she wasn’t there, so Tomasi had to leave a note about being ill and needing the afternoon off. She left as quickly as she could without running, so that none of the kitchen staff could say that she didn’t seem sick.

The next day, things seemed normal. The housekeeper had set aside a breakfast for her, “To make sure you have your strength for the day.” A lot of the nobles were well enough to be out of their rooms, so she had her quiet morning back. And Emerin didn’t interrupt her afternoon cleaning. Everything was just how she liked it, and yet, she couldn’t help glancing over her shoulder most of the day. She kept expecting a complaint to be filed, or someone to come yell at her, or- well, she didn’t know for sure, but she was certain some misfortune was coming.

She ended her cleaning with making Emerin’s bed. When she picked up one of the pillows to fluff it, she found a note, written in a small but neat hand. Tomasi picked it up, her brow furrowed.

I am sorry for assuming. I wanted to do a kindness, but it seems I stressed you out too much. It is odd to me, to think that a gift might cause damage. Yet you made a point. It has never happened here, as we have good staff, but visitors have told me of thieving maids and people fired en masse while trying to track down one sin. Please continue with your work, and I will try to find something else to thank you, something better. -Emerin

Tomasi tucked the note into her pocket with a sigh. Meddlesome nobles, she thought. Of course she can’t leave anything alone. Still, it was better than nothing, and she again felt herself relaxing into the last hour of her work as she went to help the other maids. They seemed wary of her, but it was probably because no one wanted to get sick, with the nobility laid up and her own fib.

Two weeks later, Emerin was again waiting in her room when Tomasi came to do her cleaning. The lady was beaming, and kept shifting her weight back and forth, energetic to the point of childishness.

“My lady,” Tomasi greeted her with a curtsy. “Is… Has something happened?”

“I figured it out!” Emerin announced. “I spoke with my husband, and his parents, and Father, and worked everything out so that there won’t be any staff changes! I even asked the housekeeper if it might be a wonderful idea, and Hazel said yes!”

She froze. “Lady?”

“It is wonderful!” Emerin giggled, then hurried over and placed her hands on Tomasi’s shoulders. “I told you I would find a way to show my gratitude, and here it is. You see, I convinced Father to have the wedding here, so I could have a final night in my old home. So everyone should get bonuses, for having a bit of extra work? Either way, there will be weeks of preparations, and a week or two of straightening after- Elf-blood weddings are quite the spectacle, from my understanding. And then my dear prince’s little sister agreed to come here, because it just makes sense for her to practice helping run a castle.” She paused, tugging on a bit of her hair. “I probably should be more worried about it, but Father insisted the staff could handle themselves without my oversight, after Mother’s wasting away.”

There was a moment of heavy silence, and then Emerin shook her head, getting her thoughts back together. “So! There will be another lady here, and social events will still happen. There might even be more guests, since a half-Elf wife would be a great catch for many island bachelors. She will be more directly involved with all of you, so there might be some differences, but hopefully no one will have to be fired when I leave.”

Tomasi didn’t know what to say. It all sounded grand, and perfect, but she just couldn’t be sure. Would things really work out that well? Still, it was clear that Emerin expected a response. “It sounds nice,” she finally hedged. “And you did all of this?”

Emerin nodded. “I merely… Even if I do not help with tracking things as much as other ladies, Linial knows how these things are, and since thanking just you didn’t seem like it would work, I thought it best to try and help everyone here. After all, even if I have not received as much direct help from the others, I do owe myself to everyone that works here. The cooks, and the other maids, and the seamstresses on staff, and the stablehands… I wanted to thank everyone, before I left, and…”

Tomasi nodded in understanding. “And even if you can’t make things outright better, you can keep them from getting worse, right?”

“Yes! So thank you, Tomasi, for always looking after me.” Emerin kissed her on the forehead, gentle and respectful. “I will miss your help. You have been a very good maid for me.”

Tomasi found herself blushing. Since when did nobles thank their maids? “I’m just doing my job, my lady. It’s no more than what I should.” She curtsied again, and gestured around to the room. “If I may…?”

“Oh! Yes, yes of course.” Emerin turned away from her. She gathered an embroidery hoop and a small pouch from her writing desk, nodded again to Tomasi, and left.

Tomasi set about her cleaning, her thoughts a whirl, as they’d often been in the past month. Her life had felt uprooted, and caught in a juggle, and now it seemed things would settle again. All because of the nobility she worked for, and all without any of her own input. It was odd, but it was how she lived, and how she would continue to live.