The Raven & The Spider (CURRENTLY UNDERGOING HEAVY EDITING)

Chapter 28 - Life in London

Your POV (Second Person):

You woke up early that morning, just as the sun began peeking through the velvet curtains of your new bedroom. You sat up and stretched, then allowed your bare feet to hit the hard, wooden floor. You crossed over to your wardrobe where you'd placed all your clothing and picked out a suitable dress for your first day of work.

It was a style you had typically worn back at the Noah's Ark circus when you weren't in costume, except the skirt had a few more layers underneath than you were used to. The outfit itself consisted of a white blouse, with a small red corset, and a simple navy blue skirt.

After washing your face at the washstand, and slipping on your black boots, you made your way downstairs to find Ms. Rebecca and begin work.

Once you arrived in the kitchen, Ms. Rebecca greeted you with a cheerful smile and said, "I made some biscuits for breakfast if you'd like any, (Y/N). I've also set out some preserves for you if you've got a bit of a sweet tooth."

"Thank you, Ms. Rebecca." You said gratefully, as you sat down at the table and began putting some jam on your biscuit. "When will we begin work?"

"Once you finish eating, we'll head over to the inn next door and I'll start showing you how things work." She informed you as she busied herself with the tea kettle. "

"Alright then." You replied as you took a big bite of your breakfast.

_____

"So down here in the cellar is where we keep all the preserves and pickled foods, as well as the meat, vegetables, and herbs we store." Ms. Rebecca opened the cellar door and allowed you a look at the dark room holding all the food. "Basically any ingredients you'd need for cooking are down here, so you have free range of the cellar."

Ms. Rebecca brought you back up to the first floor and pointed to a shelf near the door leading downstairs. "This here is where we keep all our teas." She then opened a door to the right and showed you a small room filled with an assortment of bottles. "And here is where we keep all the wine, beer, whisky and that sort of thing, though since you're young, you should let me handle this."

You nodded in understanding as Ms. Rebecca closed the door and continued showing you about the tavern. "We have a broom and rag over there for cleaning and all the pots and pans are in these cupboards along with dining ware. Then of course, the utensils are held in this drawer here."

You nodded slowly, taking all the information in. "Alright. Got it." You replied firmly.

"Great!" Ms. Rebecca chirped. "Customers should be coming in soon, but don't bite off more than you can chew. We have other workers coming in as well, so hopefully your first day won't be too busy."

Throughout the day, you kept busy by waiting tables and cleaning spills all over the tavern. You were even able to learn a bit of basic cooking which one of the chef's Jeremey had shown you. Along with Jeremey, the perky and friendly chef, you met Bridgette; a blonde youth maybe four years older than you who was serious but kind. You also met David who was typically in charge of handling the alcoholic beverages and making the tea and coffee. All three of these other workers were friendly towards you, and helped you whenever you required it.

By closing hours at the end of the day, you were completely exhausted and collapsed on a nearby wooden chair. I shouldn't have disregarded the work the cooks had to go through everyday to prepare meals for all the members of the circus. You thought to yourself as you tried to catch your breath from your busy day.

"Haha, tired out already are ya?" Asked Jeremey with a chortle.

You nodded sleepily as your eyes began drooping.

"It's only your first day!" Said Bridgette with exasperation as she sat next to you. "You'll have to step up your game if you're to survive the rest of the week."

You groaned lightly. Ugh, why was working in a tavern so exhausting?

"Alright you two. Cut her some slack." Said Ms. Rebecca kindly. "It's her first time working in a tavern and she did extremely well for having no experience beforehand. Come on, (Y/N). You should get some rest."

You replied with a loud yawn and followed a chuckling Ms. Rebecca back to her home, leaving Jeremy, Bridgette, and David to clean and close up the tavern.

You barely even registered walking up the stairs, changing into your night clothes, and slipping into bed before your head hit the pillow and you fell asleep within seconds.

_____

A few days later...

You woke up, bright and early, prepared to begin work just like you had been doing for the past week. You slipped out of bed and got dressed in a simple olive frock with brass buttons in the front. You tied an apron around your waist and hurried down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Ms. Rebecca!" You said cheerfully as you sat down at the table and began gobbling down your breakfast.

Ms. Rebecca laughed and in turn took a bite of her own food. "Good morning, (Y/N). I see your up and ready for a hard day's of work."

You nodded eagerly. "I think I'm finally getting the hang of working at the Alabaster Owl!" You grinned as you scarfed down a piece of apple.

"Well, I have a special job for you today." Ms. Rebecca informed you, her eyes glittering with excitement.

"What is it?" You asked curiously.

"I was wondering if you'd like to take a little trip for me." She answered with a smile. "There's a paper boy a few streets down at St. James' Park and this would give you a chance to look around London a bit, since you're still quite new to the area."

"So you want me to get you a newspaper?" You asked as you tilted your head slightly.

Ms. Rebecca nodded. "I've never been too interested in local news before, but my friend Alice has been telling me some interesting stories recently and I'd like to see if there are any articles in the paper."

You thought for a moment, then said, "Sure! It could be fun!"

"That's the spirit!" Cheered Ms. Rebecca as she jumped up suddenly from her chair. She then handed you a few coins and started clearing her own plate. "Hurry and finish breakfast now so you can get going. I'll be working at the tavern when you come back."

You finished stuffing your face with Ms. Rebecca's delicious cooking, wrapped your cloak around you, then went out the door with coins jingling in your pocket.

You stepped out of your home and made your way down Brewer Street. While walking along Castle Lane, you watched a few cheerful children running around playing tag. You smiled in a sort of nostalgic way. The young children reminded you of how you'd used to play with Jim and Luka everyday in the forest.

You sighed. I never would've expected life to change so drastically after that fire... I never would've seen myself here. You smiled a little bit though, thinking about the kindness of Ms. Rebecca and how she'd welcomed you into her home. At least you weren't starving and having no option but to steal like you had been back at the village.

You continued to walk through the busy streets of London, and turned left on James Street. Right across Bird Cage Walk was St. James' Park. You crossed the street, careful not to get run over by any carriages or carts and reached the other side safely.

You walked around the park a bit until finding a paper boy at a simple wooden stand. He looked about your age. He had wavy copper colored hair that blew slightly in the cool March wind. His eyes were clearly a bright bottle green, even though you were still a ways away. He wore a white blouse with a light brown coat atop, complete with faded grey pants and tattered black boots. The boy had a plaid scarf wrapped around his neck and a flat cap upon his head.

You approached the boy who was now wildly waving his arms around with a paper in his hand, yelling, "London Gazette! Get ya news now! Learn about the unexpected landmark court decision during the Moorcock case!"

When you reached the boy, he turned to you and smiled warmly. He held a paper out to you and said in a soft voice, "Would you care to purchase a paper, miss?"

You smiled back and nodded eagerly. He grinned happily and passed you a paper. "That'll be a three pence bit please." You dug around in your apron pocket and pulled out the coins Ms. Rebecca had given you. You passed the boy one of the brass coins and placed the remaining in your pocket.

"Thank you miss." The boy said in a friendly matter. After putting the three pence in his own pocket, he looked back up at you and said, "Say, I haven't seen you around before. Are you new to London, or have you simply never bought a paper before?"

You were slightly taken aback by his inquiry, but responded all the same. "Oh, I'm a bit new to London." You replied. "I've just recently begun working at the Alabaster Owl down on Brewer Street."

"Ah, I've been there once or twice before." The boy mentioned. "I remember they had the best lemon pound cake I've ever had! By the way, my name's Charlie. Charlie Rees."

"I'm (Y/N) Elwin." You replied with a smile.

"(Y/N)." Charlie repeated as though getting a feel for it. "What a nice name too. Well, I should get back to selling papers, but I'll be sure to stop by later at that tavern you work at."

"Thank you!" You called to Charlie as you began walking back towards Brewer Street. "See you soon!"

"Stay safe, (Y/N)!" Charlie called back.

You smiled as you ran across Bird Cage Walk. Huh, my first friend already, and it hasn't even been a week. Before you turned down James St. you decided to take a longer route so that you'd get to see more of the city before returning.

You glanced down at the London Gazette in your hand as you turned down Caxton Street and read the date. Friday, March 8, 1889. You had only gotten halfway through the headline of the paper when you stopped and looked up. You heard frantic voices around the corner of the street and peered around the brick building.

Suddenly, you froze and caught your breath. Not only were Smile and Black standing but a few feet away from you, but a dozen officers also crowded around a taped off area with the bloody corpse of a woman in the dead center.