Sinfully Delicious

Routine

It was daytime, which burned at Murchadh's eyes and made his skin itch from the light, though it didn't fully incapacitate him as it did for the night kin. The sun had risen a few hours before, bringing with it the noise of the creatures of the light and the movements of the humans that lived within the city, whether they be the slaves or the free. The air was still chill with the coolness brought on during the night and the faint scent of death and blood had not yet disappeared from the streets.

It was a morning like any other within the confines of Earth's cities, from the routine of the braver humans scuttling around to the activities of commerce, trade, and business that kept the neutral city running. Praetoria was one of five cities throughout the world that belonged to neither light nor dark but both in conjunction. Creatures of the night ruled when the sun went down and the creatures that hunted in the golden glow of day ruled once dawn struck.

Praetoria was the first amongst them for many reasons, it was the experimental city that had provided the lessons for the other four and was the city that surrounded the council of thirteen that governed all the realms. With the creation of the Praetorian Guard, manned by the neutral Tuath Dé, the city had stabilized from its original chaos and war between the two sides of Kin and become a shining example of what could be accomplished when they worked together.

Murchadh snorted at the thought as he stepped onto the small side street, drawing a glance from the rookie assigned to him. Torix was a quick learner, silent and vicious as the rest of the Guard but she had an independence of mind that allowed her to survive more than a couple weeks as Murchadh's partner. The rest had begged for reassignment from the dark, brooding taskmaster within a couple days of failing to keep up to his expectations and brutal pace of work.

"Just thinking about our lovely city." Murchadh muttered, shaking his head and glancing towards the North, where the city ended and the rolling hills of wilderness stretched, beckoning him.

Torix laughed darkly in response, grabbing the door to the coffee shop they had been walking to, pulling it open and eliciting that high pitched, grating ringing noise that caused them both to wince as they walked into the small shop.

The sitting area was empty, the small metal tables sitting silently in the morning sunlight, the floors polished clean, the air smelling of cleaning solution and baking, whirling with the scent of the demons, vampires, shifters, witches and other creatures that had already entered and left that morning. But the strongest scent was the human's, the woman that worked the shop, day in and out, who was just appearing from the back room, carrying a tray of freshly made sweets even as he thought about her.

"Same as normal, Sir? Ma'am?" Ferya offered easily, offering them both a gentle smile that reached up into her dark brown eyes. Her pale skin was smudged with flour and spices, as normal, though there were other marks darkening her skin this morning. Bruises that were a few days old darkened the skin of her jaw and he presumed more were hidden in the unseasonably high-necked sweater that could not be comfortable in this heat.

At their nod, the human turned to put the tray in its spot before starting to pour them their cups of dark, potent coffee. He had never seen her offer the brew to anyone else, through all the times that they had been there and she had only offered it to him that first day he had come into the shop as a last ditch effort to find something he was willing to drink.

Likewise, the small tarts that she put on the counter beside his cup appeared to be made in small batches. It seemed like no matter how infrequently his schedule had him walking into the shop, the human had them ready for him. He hated sugar, hated sweet things, but she had offered him the unsweetened wild rhubarb tart the second time he had shown up and every other time since.

It reminded him of the wild, of the forest and all the things that he missed while working here as a warrior within the confines of the city. It was more for that than the actual taste, that he accepted the tarts every time he came for a coffee, giving Torix a look as she happily bit into some concoction that contained more sugar than anything else. His partner merely smirked at him and turned away from the counter, leaving him to pull out the money to pay for both of them.

"You're hurt." He observed, placing the money on the counter and reaching out to grab Ferya's wrist. Without thinking, his other hand pulled the sleeve of her sweater up her arms, exposing the dark bruises covering most of the woman's skin. "I've never seen your master injure you before."

"I'm not a slave." She had defiance in her, he could feel her body tense against his grip, though she didn't try to pull away and she had hidden most of the fight in her gaze by the time her eyes rose to his. "I made a mistake and was corrected for it."

"A mistake? You burned your cookies?" It was none of his business. And though the rules of force being used against freed humans were a little more enforceable than those against the slaves, there had to be actual complaint from the human for him to do anything. And most humans who filed complaints ended up dead quite quickly. What was one little baker compared to the life of a higher being? He let go of her wrist, watching her slide the sleeve back down to hang over her fingertips and take a step away from him.

"No." She murmured softly, there was a look of consideration in her eyes, as if she debated telling him more information, before she offered a gentle smile. "Have a good day, sir."

Murchadh could have demanded more information, could have forced her to explain more about it like he wanted to. But the fear in her gaze had him closing his mouth tight before he reached to grab the first tart, shoving it into his mouth before grabbing his coffee cup. He offered her a nod as he picked up the second tart, turning to follow Torix out of the shop.

"If those stupid, rock brained vamps kill the best baker in town, I'll burn their entire coven down." Torix muttered heatedly once they were pacing back down the street to continue their patrol.

Under her words, he read the rest of her meaning, her tone, she was angry at him as well. The glare Torix sent his way was another good indicator that his rookie had wanted to do something for the human woman.

"It's their business." Murchadh glared right back. "We're supposed to be maintaining the peace, not starting wars. Especially not over humans."

Torix snorted and rolled her eyes with an insubordination that was pushing the line of his strict tolerance. "You know she makes you those stupid things, every day. You only show up once or twice a week, barely glance at her, but she makes them every day, just for you. In case you show up."

"So? She's not a slave, she chooses to work where she works." Murchadh wasn't going to let her move him into sentimentality, shaking his head. "If there were anyone for her to tell, it would have been us. But she didn't."

"Yes, because you are the face of gentle understanding." Torix finished her coffee and tossed it in a trash bin as they walked by, causing it to rattle angrily in the metal container. "And even if you were, I'd be surprised if you cared enough to know her name. Yeah, she's human and she's scared like the rest of them, but she makes an effort. I mean, for everyone, no matter what species. And where else could she work? Take a chance another place would take her? It is not like humans have a lot of safe opportunities."

Murchadh snorted, though he found himself more comfortable with the thought of action than he did letting the poor woman suffer. "We'll go back tomorrow. You talk to her, then."

Torix gave him a careful look, tilting her head to the side. "You're serious?"

"If she wants to talk about it, we'll listen to her. It also depends on what she did to warrant the attack." Murchadh shrugged and put the other tart into his mouth, nodding to where a group of Night Kin was facing off against a group of Day kin. They had bigger issues to deal with for the moment.