Wayfarer (Wanderlust 2)

Chapter Thirty

After sleeping well into the following morning, Jale kept them busy. First, she dragged Tanden to visit a physician she was friends with, who looked at his elbow and confirmed that it was healing fine, but would take more time. Then, after lunch, Jale put Tanden and Soren to work.

Along with various chores around the house, she also had them go to the market to buy food. She had dry food stored away in her house, but not enough to make meals for the three of them. While they took a list of food to the market, she went to properly handle the Wayfarer and the kyloe. They belonged to her, but there was a fee for storing her caravan at the depot. By the end of the day, Tanden's arm ached and they were both tired, so they decided to put off visiting Ara.

The next day they had more free time. As Tanden helped Jale clean up after lunch, Soren really looked at how much money they had left for the first time. They both knew they were running low, and most of what they had left was going to have to go towards food. Jale couldn't support them, not until she was properly paid for the trip, so they were going to handle the daily expenses.

Soren counted their money carefully, then counted it a second time. Jale and Tanden were talking in Tallenese as they cleaned, and Soren raised his voice to interrupt them.

"Do you remember how much Ara was?"

"Twenty-thousand weis," Tanden replied. "For two nights."

There was a clatter as Jale dropped bowls into the wash basin. "Twenty-thousand weis?" she repeated incredulously. "You're truly insane, Captain Lord Tanden of the West Draulin Navy Wanderlust."

"Ah, we're starting that again?" Tanden laughed. "Well, Ranger Lirajaleanor of Tallen Till, allow me to remind you that you're the one who sent me to the Violet House."

"Because you asked for a high-class brothel," Jale replied. "Besides, I didn't tell you to pay for the most expensive courtesan in the place. Twenty-thousand weis," she repeated again, before muttering something under her breath in Tallenese.

Tanden began to reply in the same language, so Soren interrupted again. "Captain, we don't have ten-thousand weis."

Tanden finally turned to him. "What, really?" As he paused to think, he absentmindedly began to stretch his elbow. "Well... we promised we would visit. It wouldn't hurt to go to the Violet House. Maybe we could bargain for an hourly rate. Or just talk to him downstairs. I think he'll be delighted to see you, no matter what we're doing."

Behind Tanden, Jale was scrubbing their lunch dishes with soap. "An hourly rate? So, I should expect you back for dinner, then?"

"That would be a safe assumption," Tanden said. "Well, Soren? Let's go see what we can do."

Tanden strolled into the Violet House, confident as always despite his bandaged arm. Soren followed a little apprehensively, not entirely convinced by Tanden's idea of an hourly rate. But if anybody could charm his way to that kind of deal, it was Tanden.

Soren's gaze swept the large room as Tanden smoothly addressed the young man at the desk in Tallenese. It was early in the afternoon, but the brothel was already busy. Right near the door, two women were fawning over a richly dressed man. Nearby, an older woman in an elegant dress was talking to a handsome young man. Little clumps or pairs of people were everywhere, talking or drinking. Soren couldn't see Ara, and he hoped that didn't mean Ara was already with a customer.

Then he noticed that Tanden's tone had changed, and he turned back to the desk. Tanden's expression had hardened, and in his obvious frustration his Tallenese seemed to have failed him. He switched abruptly to Morcean and continued speaking rapidly. The man at the desk kept up, switching languages just as easily.