Phony Potions

Chapter 23.5

Empty handed, I trudged back to my carriage. The joy of the festival-goers was a personal offense to me now, even though I usually loved such things. I avoided being bumped into by the hot sweat-soaked bodies, strangers laughing and smiling at me as I passed. I could only manage a small insincere smile back, but thankfully attention spans were forever shortening as the night wore on, and my melancholy was not noted.

I walked past the town gate, out to my carriage. The smells of the stables were pungent as I searched around the dark space of my carriage bed. I found the single row of bottles filled with the tracking potion and liquor mixture. Scooping them into a small carrying tray, I backed out of the carriage. I hurried past one of the many entrance ramps to the stables. The stench became more tolerable as it was thinned with fresh air. Feet pounded on the wooden planks and a voice call after me.

"It's late!"

A small girl stood before me, her dress encrusted with filth and more patches than skirt, but not ragged or neglected. A bruise bloomed on her upper arm, shaped vaguely like the top curve of a horse shoe. She flashed a smile at me. I recognized the gaps from the missing baby teeth. The singing girl.

"It is. You should be at home, if you were a nice little girl." I scolded. It must have come across more sincere than I intended, for her face fell. I forced a grin, scraping deep within that inner well of emotion for some playful energy to give to her.

"Ya should go ta bed, ya look tired," she scolded. She rested her hands on her narrow hips. "Ya need to tell yar master that makin' ya work this late at night is downright unwarm."

I rose an eyebrow at the pseudo-swear.

"Ah, but I lost something, and I need to find it. My master would be most displeased if I did not locate it by morning." More like Mallow would be most displeased if I didn't locate her.

"You h'aint even got time to get a bath?" she asked, regarding me.

"No, hain't even for that." I mimicked her words, though not in a malicious way. Her cheeks poofed out and then made a popping sound as she exhaled.

"Thas a shame. I been hearin' from all the Assistants that the baths here are really nice. My family don't use 'em regularly since my house is closer to the river and no sense in paying when you kin wash for free, but maybe for my Age Day or something. They got bubbles and salts and stuff. You'd like 'em." She gave me a foxish leer. Was... was she picturing me in nothing but a towel? I'd never seen such a predatory expression on an elf girl before. She was going to be trouble when she got older, but for now it was more adorable than objectifying. Though... she really should like boys more her own age.

"Sure those salts would go great with the cuts I can't seem to stop getting." I brushed at some of the remaining dirt on me with the hand not holding the wooden bottle tray. "What about you, what are you doing out here? You dodged the question the first time, mischief perhaps?"

She ran a filthy hand through her hair, which instead of straightening it, just deposited brown and black flakes between the strands.

"Nah, no time for mischief, not with all of this coin coming in and outta town." She gestured at the stable. "I been here all day cleaning horses: brushing their coats, helping keep their hooves tidy, polishing horse shoes. It's hard work, but it gets me outta my regular boring chores, so it's nice."

"I've got to get going—" I faltered. I didn't know her name, how to close the conversation? I'd already paused long enough with an open mouth. Just walking away would seem abrupt. "-now." I closed my mouth and took a step to the right of the girl. I was tired.