Farryn

Chapter 2- Part 2

Trison Estate. That was what they needed to do. Holding Luli's hand a little too tight, she wandered the town, thinking. Getting up to the Estate would be its own hurdle, and getting inside was a whole other battle.

One thing at a time. How would she get them to let her in? She was a stranger, plus she had Luli with her.

She looked down at the little girl, walking placidly with dried tears streaked across her cheeks, and her thumb wedged firmly in her mouth. "Luli," she said, gently pulling out her hand. Her mother had never let them suck their thumbs. "You'll ruin your teeth and then look like a pokey-old Surqi. Holes in your teeth and in your clothes!" Her father hadn't liked that joke, not at all.

"Luli," she repeated, forcing herself to focus. "Will you tell me about your mother's pies?"

Luli's brow furrowed as she thought, rubbing her soggy thumb on her dress. "They were very good," she finally said. "But daddy didn't like them."

"He didn't?" Farryn heard a rumble behind her, and stepped out of the way as a woman pushing a pram hurried past. She had a bag slung over her arm, and a baby screamed at her from within the pram. No, not a baby. Three babies.

"Daddy didn't like them because she used the flowers," Luli continued. 

"Flour," Farryn corrected. 

Luli gave her a withering glare and repeated "Flowers."

"Yes. Of course."

"Because flowers is expensive." 

 "Are they?" Luli nodded, and then fell silent. Farryn let her be, trying to keep her thoughts off her own father.

Instead, she thought of the woman who had just hurried past them. The pram had looked pretty expensive, and no one else was pushing a pram; they all had their babies resting on their hips, or strapped to their backs. Maybe she was a richer woman?

But then why would she be pushing around her own babies?

Farryn could feel Luli beginning to lag. They had been walking a while, so she stopped by a bench for them to rest their feet. "Will you let me braid your hair?" she asked. Luli didn't seem to mind.

Her hair was still knotted and frizzy, but at least it was clean now. She wove her hair into two neat braids as she thought.

Maybe the woman was a nanny. It was most likely. Noble families didn't care for their own children; that would be ridiculous. They used nannies when they were infants, then governesses when they were children, and then sent them off to boarding school. If they came out proper citizens, they took the credit for raising them. If they didn't, their guardians were to blame.

Could she be from Trison Estate?

Surely there was some way to find out. If those children were Trisons, then she could try to join the nursery. Since the nobilities didn't need nurseries for long, they often employed nannies outside the Workers Guild. It was her best shot, and she needed the money. She'd been spending it a bit too freely and she was running low. There were only about 10 passes left in the little coin purse.

"Luli? How did you leave the factory?"

Luli was facing away from her since she was still braiding her hair, and she paused, fiddling with the collar of her dress. Maybe she doesn't want to talk about it, Farryn thought. That was fine. She just wanted to know.

"Sisha helped me," Luli said. "We went in the night."

"Helped you? Did she go to the station with you?" Had there been someone looking for Luli all this time?