Laying the Foundations [Completed]

[Ksenia]

Ksenia yawned and stretched as Amalia brought the wagon to a halt. “We’re home,” Amalia said, leaning down to shake Artemis’s shoulder. He started awake and snapped his eyes around warily before letting loose a tremendous yawn.

“Sorry about making you drive, I’ll do it next time,” he said giving Amalia a smile.

Ksenia swung herself over the edge of the wagon and reached back for the parcel of ledgers. “Ah, damn, the books fell,” she muttered and started to climb back in. Lynwood scrambled around for a second and handed the two copy books to Ksenia without Artemis noticing. “Thanks,” Ksenia said quietly.

Lynwood nodded and hopped down beside her with his own loop of tools. “Best go spread these around. I’d love to talk to you more about the aprons and furniture later, Craftmistress,” he said before moving off to gather the crew with a few easy calls.

Jacobus wandered out and the crew came to collect their new supplies eagerly. It seemed they were close to finished. “I promised them an early day if we get the upstairs complete and make the north wall solid,” the Foreman said as he approached Artemis. “Any trouble with the suppliers?”

“They had some teens working the counter, tried to cheat us a bit, Amalia dissuaded them. We’re paid up and have a four gold credit line. I’m told that’s much higher than it should be, what’d you do?” Artemis asked the man.

Jacobus laughed and nodded at the high figure. “I told them the crew, and the kind of work we were doing, and that you didn’t blink when we needed a whole bunkhouse. They did the math on their own.”

“Fair, well, I need to work with Kessy for a bit, so keep your folks in line until then. We’ve got Lena, the woman over there,” Artemis pointed at the house, “bringing out dinner for everyone a bit after sundown. We’ll tap the barrel then too.” Artemis gave the Foreman a nod and moved to help Ksenia get downstairs. When he saw she had everything in order he fell into comfortable step beside her instead.

Ksenia strode through the warehouse to the steps leading into the tunnel and stopped outside Artemis’s door, waiting. “Will you unlock the door, please?” she asked quietly.

“Course,” he said easily, stepping past her to unlock and push open the door. He let it close behind her but kept it unlocked.

Ksenia set the parcel down on the wobbly table, pushing the two copybooks to the side. “I can help you stuff your mattress now, if you want to,” she said, moving over to the pile of things they’d brought in earlier. She started sorting the pile as she waited for his response, glancing over at him occasionally.

“Something wrong Kessy?” Artemis asked, moving over to pull his mattress off the bunk and pop it open. He wasn’t certain where to put the straw so he was just going to pile it in the corner for now.

“There’s the slight problem that there is one mattress, two of us, and I’m not entirely sure I can trust you to keep your hands to yourself,” Ksenia answered softly. “A temporary thing, you said. You two didn’t look like there was any intention of making that a ‘temporary’ thing.”

Artemis stopped pulling straw and stared at the floor. “Fair, I don’t really know anything to convince you otherwise. I don’t even know why I’m like this. You ever feel like something’s missing and you can almost feel it if you stretch out far enough, but it’s never there when you close your hands?” he asked, slowly moving back to emptying the mattress form.

Laughing hollowly, Ksenia moved the separate piles off the wool that had held the bundle. “That’s pretty much my life, only it’s not one thing.” She shook the wool out. “When you live moving from hearth to hearth, being dragged along after someone who thinks you’re a mistake, there’s a lot that gets lost along the way.”

“I think mine’s probably a bunch of things too, I’ve just never had the time to stop and think about it. I haven’t pulled a knife in literally a week best I can recall. What is even happening?” he asked, a tinge of fear in his voice. “I’m scared I’m doing things just to ruin the stuff I have. Why the fuck did I even look at him? I mean, yeah it felt good, physically. In the moment it sure as hell felt great in my mind too, but that turned on its head right after.”

“I’m not exactly in a place to give advice,” Ksenia pointed out. “I let a korcai drink my blood twice a month because she holds me like a child and treats me like I’m not a freak and a horrible blot upon her life.” She folded the wool and set it down. “The way she gives baths - I’m so - broken,” she spat, “that I can’t even let Deb wash half my body. She tried once, and I ended up giving myself muscle cramps.”

She stepped over to the mattress cover and began pulling handfuls of straw out. “I understand you’re broken. You’re not the only one.” She stopped and looked at him. “I - I’m sorry. I want to be able to trust you.” She swallowed hard. “I’m scared - no, terrified - that you’ll dump me on the street with nothing, or worse that you’ll -” her voice got higher and tighter. “You’ll use me and toss me aside, less than a whore.” She shook her head violently. “I’m just the whore’s bastard. That’s what they tell me.” Pulling the straw out frantically and throwing it in the corner, Ksenia felt her heart pound.

Artemis watched her, understanding exactly what was going on but not certain how to stop it. His first thought was to bite her, but he also realized that would likely not go very well. He did not have special spit or the strength to hold Ksenia down while it took effect. “Hey,” he said very softly, waiting to see if she heard him.

Ksenia stopped, but didn’t look at him. "Yes,” she replied. Her hand was clenched on a fistful of straw with the other holding the mattress cover.

“I’m pretty sure I can’t bite you like Deb would right now, and my only other answer is to hold you down. Given those are alleyfires both I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do right now. You’re clearly getting worse, and I want to help,” he said back, holding his hands up and suddenly showing the past weeks’ wear on his features.

“I-I don’t know either. I hate this,” she mumbled, letting the mattress cover droop. “It’s been a long day, first with the whole bit at O’Dell’s, then concerned about you, or anyone else, getting forced like I was, and then Amalia making eyes at Deb - who appears to be all about that - and you and Lynwood in the wagon, by the idols, I half expected you two to start groping each other there -” She took in a deep breath. “I wish I were more like you, a bit. I freeze every time someone even hints about me- doing anything,” she said, in a voice halfway to crying.

Artemis laughed without humor. “You don’t really want that Kessy,” he said shaking his head. “You want what I’m trying to have, but it looks like we’ve both got a long way to go there.” He picked up the mattress form and pulled it inside out, dumping the last vestiges of straw. “Think I could trick you into a hug? Deb always says people deserve more of them.”

“Deb can be very wise,” Ksenia said, managing a tiny smile. “No tricks though. I’d rather you just ask.” She stepped forward and awkwardly tried to pull him into a hug. “Sorry, I’m not good at this, not enough practice I guess.”

Artemis stood and adjusted leaned back just a bit. “Okay, training. Move your hands somewhere in between my shoulderblades and my ass, depending on how many clothes you’re wanting to take off. Down to mid back is still good for close friends or deep emotions.” He slid his hands to just below her shoulder blades. “Starting here is good, then the head. You’re not trying to joust, or knock me out. So lean it forward onto the shoulder if you can. Facing in is more intimate than out, but neither’s really innately more sexual.” He put his head onto the edge of her shoulder. “If you’re not the right height, the arm for distance, the chest for close. Same rules as the shoulder on in and out.”

“Who knew there were so many rules to this,” Ksenia said quietly, trying to control her voice. “This might have been better to learn as a child then what I actually did.”

“I actually learned it around the time I hit sixteen I think. You spend enough time trying to get to know normal people and you figure these out. Now the last bit, the hug part. The tightness and length.” Ksenia snorted, laughing into Artemis’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help it, you’re a bad influence,” she mumbled in between laughs.

“Making a girl laugh is the first step into her mind or heart. Tightness, the tighter the more urgent. Length, the longer the more intimate. These two give you all sorts of combinations. A slow gentle hug between family or lovers. A fierce brief hug for a friend returned from combat. A strong ever-lasting hug for one you can’t live without. No one else’s opinion here really matters. A hug is an agreement, a communication of emotion and relation,” he finished and stepped back from her, dropping his arms to his side. “So, Craftmistress Ksenia, hug me how you want.”

She stepped forward tentatively, sliding her lower arm around his ribs and her other from his ribs to his shoulder blades, a little lower with the opposite arm. She tugged him to her gently, insistently, and laid her head on his shoulder. “Maybe someday we’ll both figure out how to find our missing pieces,” she said softly into his ear. She gave him a last squeeze and let him go.

Artemis didn’t move after she released him, tears starting to well in his eyes. “Keep that up and I’ll fall in love with you one day Kessy,” he said with a weak smile. “Not the sort for Kat, the kind you give to family,” he clarified with a hiccup.

“I’d probably shatter if you tried anything like you’d do to Katarya,” Ksenia admitted. “I don’t even know how to start that sort of thing, even if I wanted to.” She turned back to the table, looking for the copybooks. “I’ve never even kissed someone I liked. It’s always been other people who-” she let her voice trail off.

“Oh, here, I bought you a blank book for your lessons, when we have time,” she said, holding the blue-mottled-cover copybook.

Artemis looked confused for several seconds before his eyes lit up. “You promised me lessons, that’s right!” he said moving over uncomfortably close to look at the book. “It’s so clean, how much did this cost? I hope it wasn’t expensive. I have no idea what I’m supposed to put in it,” he said rambling excitedly.

Ksenia smiled at his enthusiasm. “You can put whatever you want in it. I thought you could practice letters and writing in it, but I put sketches in mine too. And they weren’t expensive - the shop where I got the ledgers had a crate full of books that had been messed up too much to ask full price. At two for five copper, you can fill as many as you want.” She tugged the parcel over and opened it. “There’s more pens and ink - I figured we’d need them - and we can always pour the ink into smaller bottles to share. Oh, and I got more sand. I wasn’t sure if you needed some and I remembered seeing it in your kit,” she said, pointing at the objects she named.

Artemis touched each thing as she mentioned it, before suddenly grabbing a pen and moving over to his kit in the corner. He rifled through it for several seconds and pulled a glittering black ink vial out. He placed the blue mottled book onto the table and dipped his pen before making a series of rapid and precise strokes. He continued this for several long seconds before he grabbed a pinch of sand and dusted the cover. When he leaned back there was a palm-sized stylized blackbird. The animal had only an outline for feet and beak, but the remainder of the body was perfectly filled.

Ksenia watched him and came around to look over his shoulder. She smiled and leaned over the book. “That’s beautiful,” she said. “Do you want me to put your name on the inside, or would you like to do that?”

“It’s mine, I made it once, when we had to pick a name. It’s a blackbird, but I don’t have the yellow ink. I think I can put my name in, it’s a good start,” he replied, carefully opening the book and writing his name three times. First in script, then in trade block, and finally in an almost scrawled hand.

Blinking, Ksenia pointed at the script and the scrawl. “Where’d you learn that? I thought you said you only really knew trade lettering,” she commented.

“I uh- I didn’t learn it. I just sort of made it up,” he said, putting his hand over the letters.

“It’s actually pretty good. I was going to start you off with just trade lettering for a while, keep it simple, then go into script later,” Ksenia said. “That was how I was taught, more or less. Learn the easiest first, then get more complicated once you’re comfortable with it.”

He uncovered his script and examined it nodding slowly. “I think I’d like that. I need to know all this stuff, but I don’t have the time just now.” He closed his notebook and moved to pick up the mattress form. “You promised me the fleece would make everything better, so let’s stuff this so we can pass out later,” he said giving her a grin and laying the form over his chair before grabbing a bag of fleece and untying the top.

Checking the other two and picking the one that didn’t have mud on the bottom, Ksenia pushed the unopened bag to Artemis for him to untie. “I did promise you the fleece, and I do think you’ll like it. I guess I let you get distracted a bit, but we’ll have it stuffed in no time.” She took a huge handful of fleece out of the sack, then stopped and looked at it critically. “Wait. Can you lift the sack if I hold the mattress form?”

“Sure,” he said, shrugging and waiting for further instruction.

Ksenia stuck the neck of the sack into the mattress form’s opening; they were about the same size. “You hold the bag up and I’ll whack the fleece into the form. Once we get most of it out, we’ll turn the sack inside out for the last bits and fill the rest from the second sack. Okay?”

“Got it, though I think you just want to punch me and get away with it,” Artemis said grinning and lifting up the unwieldy sack of fleece.

Ksenia shook the form as the fleece slowly tumbled out. Annoyed, she reached in front of Artemis and thwacked the bag hard to force some of the fleece out. Artemis grunted and then laughed while wiggling the bag slightly. “Come on now, you can hit me harder than that.”

“Do you want me to punch you?” she asked, unsure.

“You’re not going to have many more chances Kessy, show me how hard you can hit,” he laughed again, wiggling the fleece bag.

“If I hurt you, I’m sorry,” she said, as she turned and threw her best punch straight into the middle of the sack.

Artemis wheezed slightly and then chuckled, “Good, but you’ll break your knuckles. Thumb out, strike with the flat.” She adjusted her hands and punched the bag again.

“Better?” she asked.

He bent back as the strike came, rolling his chest slightly. “Better, but you’d need a lot of practice when your hands are clean. Gently now, get the rest out.”

“Aw, one more? Please?” Her eyes were bright.

“I tell you what, you can hit me as many times as you like, but I get a hug for each one, whenever I want,” he replied with a devious grin.

“There’s not that much fleece left in the bag - but we do have two more,” she grinned. She waited for Artemis to hold the bag up before imagining one of the faces she desperately wanted to punch. With an almost feral grin, she stepped into the strike, envisioning her fist going right into the aristocratic nose of Raoul.

Artemis staggered as the strike hit, he’d rolled back and the bag took most of the blow, but it still took him off balance. He laughed loudly and reset himself. “Any more in there?”

“I think we actually got most of the fleece out,” she said sounding a little disappointed. “Let’s turn the bag inside out, see if we can get that last bit.” Artemis complied and deftly flipped the bag before rolling it inside out. There were several bits of stubborn fleece sticking around but they’d done a good job.

Ksenia ran her hands over the bag carefully, scraping the last of the fleece off. “So, not quite half of the other bag, and that should be full, I think,” she said, eyeing the fleece in the form. Grabbing the side, she shook it hard to get it to settle. “Alright. Let’s get this done so you can learn the wonders of a fleece mattress.”

“I mean, I doubt I’ll learn all the wonders, but I hope a good night’s rest is one,” he said, giving her a wink before reaching into the second bag and stuffing globs of fleece into the mattress. Ksenia grabbed a few large handfuls, pushing the fleece toward the corners while Artemis loaded the cover with more wads of fleece.

“I think that’s about enough,” she said, once the fleece was almost - but not quite - about to spill out of the form. She slipped the buttons back into their holes and folded the flap over them as intended. “There you go, one fleece stuffed mattress.”

“It’s very heavy,” Artemis said, trying not to drag the mattress on the floor as he moved it to the lower bed. Ksenia went to the other side and put her hands under it to lift, carefully, so that she didn’t have it slipping across her palms. They maneuvered it into the bunk with a bit of grunting and shoving.

“I’ll just put my cover in the bunk first when I stuff it,” Ksenia huffed, after they’d wrangled the mattress into place. “Go ahead, lie down.”

Artemis looked at her and grinned while waggling his eyebrows. “If you say so.” He slid into the bed and wiggled to get comfortable. After several seconds he groaned softly. “This is weird Kessy. It’s really warm, soft, yeah, but I feel like I’m falling.”

“You’re not, clearly,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Move over.” She poked him in the shoulder.

“Usually you have to at least buy me dinner, but you’re such a good friend,” he said scooting into the mattress towards the wall. “I’ll even let you sleep on the outside if you really want.”

Ksenia swung her legs on to the mattress and rolled away from the edge. She sighed happily, sinking into the mattress slightly. “The first time I felt one of these I thought I was laying on a cloud.” She smiled at Artemis. “Granted, I think I was about six at the time.”

Artemis curled his fingers tightly before moving them to his chest, and then back to his side. “I’m not sure what to do with my hands,” he said after a moment.

Ksenia looked at him with a good-natured but puzzled expression. “What would you usually do with your hands when you sleep?”

“If you promise you won’t be mad, I can show you,” he said, not winking or grinning but actually nervous and serious.

“As long as you promise to stop if I ask you to,” she responded. Artemis nodded slightly and very slowly rolled onto his side facing her. He dropped his lower arm down his side and put his upper arm across her middle then he scooted over and lay his head next to hers and slid his legs against her side.

“Normally it’s something like this. I like to be warm,” he said softly next to her head.

Ksenia breathed slowly, forcing herself to relax. After a few seconds, his arm didn’t feel like it was a bar holding her down; it was more like a hug that would let her go if she wanted. “I-I think I like it,” she said slowly. From the corner of her eye, she felt a hot tear slip down and drop into her hair. She closed her eyes for a second, feeling the warmth, the movement of his body as he breathed.

Artemis suddenly jerked his legs back away from her. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he said with a sudden tenseness in his entire body.

The cold air rushed in where Artemis had been. Ksenia rolled up on her elbow. “What did I do wrong?”

“You… didn’t do anything at all wrong. You’re just very pretty and warm and soft and I don’t think I’m ready for you to be that close to that particular bit of me. I’d rather not ruin a good hug,” Artemis said in a bit of a rush.

“O-oh,” Ksenia realized what he meant. “I’m not sure what to say - or what to do,” she said quietly. “This is one of those times I really wish I was less messed up, or more experienced, or something.” She reached a hand out to his shoulder, hesitantly. “I do appreciate that you’re trying to make me comfortable.”

She swung her legs over the side to sit along the edge of the bed. “Let’s - just let that go, and I’ll face the wall tonight. I usually sleep on my side anyway, and we’ve got blankets to keep warm. No problem, right?” She gave him a small smile. “Sorry I’m forcing you to share, but you only have to deal with me one night. I’ll be at O’Dell’s tomorrow night and you’ll have the bed all to yourself.”

“That’s… that’s why I went after Lynwood,” Artemis said softly. “I don’t like being alone. I’ve been alone too much,” he added more normally, waving his hands in annoyance.

“I hear you,” she said, moving her hand down to his shoulder blade and rubbing her thumb in small circles. “I can’t do anything right now to make that better, what with me having to stay at O’Dell’s. If I could, I would. At least when I’m back, we’ll be sharing the room, so maybe you’ll feel a little less lonely.” Ksenia sighed softly, trying to figure out a way to help him.

“Not your job after all. I’ll talk to the crew a bit maybe, make some things clear, go from there.”

“Wait, remember what Amalia said? That Jacobus is “a teddy bear” but that’s it? I’d bet you five copper if you asked, he’d let you share his bunk for a bit. Besides, he was a father who clearly cared about his daughter, so if you can tap into that parent bit, you’re golden,” Ksenia said, bouncing slightly on the edge.

“If what you want really is just company, you’ll have that. And if not, well,” she shrugged. “You know there’s people willing to have you in their bed for - for non-sleeping activities,” she said, frowning a bit at herself.

“You’ll get there. I’ll not let up on the teasing as long as you can manage,” Artemis offered chuckling. “I’m worried about fitting in with the Foreman, and the crew asking funny questions, but it’s worth a shot.” He rolled over slightly and wrapped his arms around Ksenia’s waist to give her a quick squeeze. “That doesn’t count as my one,” he added before releasing her.

Ksenia laughed. “Do I need to write you an I.O.U. slip so it can be all official?” She grinned at him. “Then you can just hand it to me and I’ll know that’s your one hug.”

“Or, without a paper trail I can tease it out for a while. That seems more my style,” he said returning her grin.

Ksenia smirked at him. “You’re just going to surprise hug me and then say that wasn’t it - forever. I know you, Mister Black.”

“You’ve caught me, I’m a dastardly villain Miss Ksenia,” he shoved her back gently. “We should probably make our way upstairs. It’s likely close to dinner and the crew will talk about our sordid mattress stuffing if we’re down here too long.”

Ksenia’s smile dropped for a second. “I wouldn’t say you’re a villain. Not in my books.” She swallowed and took a deep breath. “I hope your neighborhood ladies fixed a good dinner; I’m hungry,” she said, hopping off the bed with a smile again.

“Well, perhaps you’ve simply not seen enough of my deeds,” he replied, shimmying himself to the edge of the bed before rolling out of it. “Now then,” he said stepping quickly close to her and adjusting her hair and dress. “You can’t just go out like you were, they’ll know something was happening,” he said with a wink.

“I doubt it. Me? The person who left the first lunch because she couldn’t take your teasing?” She huffed.

“Well, I did follow right after, perhaps they’re suspicious it’s all a ruse to cover our vigorous and frequent sordid affairs,” Artemis said, unable to keep from laughing heartily.

Ksenia felt like he’d poured icy cold water down her back. “Too much there,” she managed to say, clenching her jaw shut.

He stilled his expression immediately and nodded. “Got it, getting a feel for the edges. Some of them are real wound up,” he said softly before very slowly reaching out to pat her upper arm.

“Not your fault, but yes.” She turned to look at him. “Thanks.” Closing her eyes she took a few deep breaths and shook her arms out. “Okay, let’s go,” she said, grabbing the door handle and opening it.

Lynwood, Amalia, and Kent almost fell on top of her as their support disappeared. Artemis peeked over Ksenia’s shoulder and leveled his most imperious glare. He’d learned a lot from watching Katarya these past weeks.

“Did you need something, or were you simply avoiding work,” he asked evenly, without bite or ice.

“Uh, no, Boss, just came to tell you dinner’s here,” Amalia piped up, a bit nervously.

“Then why are you still in our way?” Artemis asked back, pinning each of them individually with his gaze. The scramble to leave was sudden and frantic. In moments all three had made their way back up the stairs with various forms of apology.

Ksenia shivered. “I don’t know where you learned to talk like a Faryv-damned noble, but that was good. A little too good, for my liking, but terribly useful.” She started out into the hall and turned. “Maybe you ought to lock that door before dinner, just in case.”

“I always lock the door, which is why I’m going to give you a key before you leave in the morning. As for the nobles thing,” Artemis shrugged and quirked his lips into a smirk. “I’ve robbed a lot of them, that involves watching and listening.”

Laughing, Ksenia waited for him at the stairs. “I don’t suppose I could give you a list? There’s a few nobles and upper-class merchants I’d love to see with mud on their faces,” she commented. “Mostly the ones who are horrible to their servants, so I won’t feel much guilt on my part.”

“I’m sure we could start a bit of a commissioned list at some point. The Hart is always looking for more jobs to hand out, and the job can be its own pay that way,” he said, giving her one last side arm squeeze before they crested the stairs.

There was a lot of activity going on around a large pile of crates and lumber in the center of the warehouse. It looked like the crew had fashioned a series of three tables and a serving surface from the available materials. Lena was ladling heaping spoonfuls of something into bowls and there were several children running around. The crew was chatting and eating loudly with some spread at each table. Many people rested on their own personal crate, though there were some chairs sparingly spread around as well.

“If it tastes half as good as it smells, we’re in for a treat,” Ksenia said, sniffing the air and trying to hide it. Her stomach rumbled.

Artemis gave her a bit of a gentle shove forward, “Well get in there, no sense in wondering,” he said as he strode towards the gathering with exaggerated excitement. “Miss Lena, I believe you’ve over delivered. I told you not to spoil my crew, and yet here we are,” Artemis’ face was split wide in a grin to show his words had no edge to them. “Craftmistress, please assess the goods our chef has provided. I will await your decision.”

Ksenia was trying to figure out the balance between what she could fit on the plate and what she could fit in her stomach as she eyed the table. There wasn’t a dish left untouched, but there was still plenty for her, Artemis, and Lena. She took a bowl of the dumpling stew and one of the pieces of bread that had been cut already, before trying a spoonful of the stew. Bits of beef, chunks of vegetables, and bite-sized dumplings danced on her tongue. Ksenia closed her eyes and smiled as she swallowed.

Walking up to Artemis, she said, “You’d better go get some of this stew while there’s bowls left, because it’s delicious, and if you wait, there won’t be any left! It’s excellent.” Grinning, she passed him to look for a seat. She found an empty crate and sat on it, her bread in her lap, and her bowl in her hand.

Artemis sauntered over to the table and a brightly smiling Lena. “Mister Black, you truly must teach your crew to be less appreciative. I believe I’ve been given more compliments on my cooking, figure, and marriage prospects in the last hour than I have in the last year,” she said, handing him a freshly ladled bowl of stew.

“Miss, if the food’s that good, I doubt I can stop them. Are you okay on budget, how much do we have?” Artemis asked, still jovial but slightly more serious.

“I’ve got an entire other pot at the house half of this one, but easily enough for another fifteen I’d estimate. More if you get more bread.”

“That’s more than I figured, glad to have you to provide. There’ll be more requests where this came from. Speak to Jacobus when you’ve got some time. He’ll know what’s best to shove down their gullets,” Artemis said and raised his food to the woman before walking off to take a seat.

Lynwood caught his attention with a small wave and motioned to an open box at his table. Artemis rolled his eyes and wandered over to settle in. “So, who offered to marry the woman?” he asked as he prepared his first sopping bite of stew soaked bread. The table laughed and Otis sheepishly raised a hand. Artemis popped his morsel into his mouth and groaned softly at the rich flavor. This had clearly been cooking all day, and made with beef bone at that. “You might be a smarter man than you look Otis,” he said after he swallowed.

Artemis took a spoonful, making sure to get the right balance of vegetables, meat, and a chunk of dumpling. He groaned in appreciation again as the warm broth seemed to melt his soul a bit. When Artemis opened his eyes he saw Lynwood blushing fiercely beside him. Artemis wondered for a moment what had the man bothered and then he realized the sounds he was making were likely a bit familiar.

Amalia came and took a seat at the table, poking her finger at Lynwood like a spear. “So that’s what he sounded like,” she said, gently slapping Artemis on the back. “Boss, you clearly have the voice of, well of something,” she said laughing heartily.

“And you’ve got the grip to best the finest drunken sailor,” he quipped back, drawing laughter from the tense atmosphere of the table. He realized only the two crewmembers had spent the day getting to know him. The rest likely didn’t believe the stories quite yet.

“Room for one more?” Ksenia asked, standing next to Amalia. The joiner scooted over and Ksenia set her bowl down. “I’m going to go grab a box, be right back,” she said as she retrieved the box she’d been sitting on. Settling in, she gave Amalia a friendly nudge to her arm. “Thanks for letting me in,” she said.

“Trade you for the ‘Deb’ skinny,” Amalia said with a wink.

“Not at the table, but sure,” Ksenia replied. “I can tell you Artemis says she likes to ah, play rough.”

“Artemis too, man she must be a lively one,” Amalia said with a bit of excitement in her eyes. Ksenia covered her snort, turning into her sleeve as though she’d sneezed.

“Foreman, where is my potentially deadly alcohol barrel?” Artemis shouted with his spoon raised for emphasis. A cheer went up as Jacobus pointed to the stacked crates behind Lena.

“Here it is boss, tapped and ready. It smells like something to drink,” the Foreman said in response.

“Excellent, Craftmistress, with me. You’ll have to again assess the quality before you can be left to your own devices,” Artemis said, standing and making a pulling gesture to Ksenia before moving over to the tapped barrel. There was a pile of wooden cups and he grabbed two.

Ksenia gulped. She didn’t have much of a taste for beers and ale, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to rely on Artemis too much. Taking one of the cups, she turned the spigot to a gentle flow. A heady smell accompanied the dark amber liquid that trickled into her cup. This wasn’t beer by a long shot.

She let the cup fill about halfway before she cut the spigot off. She held it under her nose to take in the aroma - musky, a bit sharp, maybe a bit of vanilla. Inhaling, she swirled the liquid in her cup, letting the scents open up. ‘Remember, brandies and liquors need to be aerated to taste their best,’ she heard the voice in her memory. Stefan. One of the nice ones. She took a sip, slurping it a bit to bring out the flavor.

The brandy tasted warm, vanilla, grapes and other earthy flavors she couldn’t name. It was like coming in to a fire on a cold day, someone waiting for you with a hot drink, like a warm sunbeam in the middle of winter. She closed her eyes, letting it slide down her throat slowly. The brandy left a bit of spice on her tongue, slowly dissipating as time passed.

“That’s an excellent brandy,” she said, opening her eyes slowly. She took another sip, stepped forward to hand the cup to Artemis, and realized the world was about thirty degrees off from where she thought it was. She blinked and held the cup out. “I’m going to need to sit down.”

Artemis took the cup and caught her swiftly before moving her over towards the nearest table. Thinking she was fine where she was he let her be and took a sip of the drink himself. He was immediately hit with the realization that this was a very strong, very dwarven, and very old drink. It was also amazingly smooth and frighteningly delicious.

“Foreman, this can only be had by the rest of the crew when the inspection is done. No one will be able to walk otherwise,” he said, raising his glass and finishing the remainder. There were some soft boos, but also excited chatter about what the drink could possibly be.

Ksenia clung to the table where Artemis had led her. The brandy had hit her with the force of a wagon pulled by a runaway team of horses, but she licked her lips for any hint that might remain. Even Stefan’s well-stocked private bar had nothing that could have compared to it, and he had been a noble with a reputation as an aficionado for liquors. Having another sip would be a terrible idea, but she wanted it badly.

Artemis refilled the glass to half again and took a slow sip before walking over to Ksenia and holding it in front of her. “For your consideration,” he said, enjoying the warmth flooding him. Thankfully, given his habit of tricking folks into cups of dwarven whisky, he’d need another glass or so to start making bad decisions.

Reaching for the cup, Ksenia focused very carefully to make sure she was, in fact, following the correct path to get there. She swirled the brandy again, closing her eyes and basking in the aroma before sipping it. The delicious scents intensified as she drank it and she smiled. It was lovely, the sort of drink rich men might only afford once in a great while. She held the cup in both hands and took a larger sip, letting it roll around in her mouth. Warmth, a hint of sweet, and starting to mellow out. Would it keep changing?

She swallowed that sip and took another. The longer the brandy had been exposed to air, the more the tastes had begun to open up. She gave a tiny moan as the warmth slid into her. She went to take another drink, but the cup was empty. She opened her eyes and stared at it quizzically.

“Something wrong with this cup,” she said, holding it up to Artemis. “It’s empty.”

Artemis felt like he was about to make a very poor choice. He had been watching Ksenia drink the alcohol with some interest. Realizing he’d never actually seen her drink even beer. She was clearly well into her cups already and yet that little moan of pleasure had been enough to convince him to offer her a quarter cup more.

“A moment Craftmistress,” he said with a grin and a wink before moving over and giving her just shy of a quarter cup. He took his own sip to hold in his mouth before he returned the drink to her hands. He moved gently, not wanting her to spill the likely ridiculously expensive drink.

“Aw, you fixed it, thank you,” she said, wrapping her hands around the cup. She tipped the cup back, taking a decent mouthful. “It’s sho good. We gotta shave it,” she slurred. “You know theresh nobs out shere who give their lef’ ball to tashte thish,” she gestured with the cup. She stopped and tipped back the last of it. She set the cup on the table top with careful, exaggerated, motions. “Sho good, but I shhhould probbly shtop now,” she slurred.

“You probably should, yes. I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Artemis said, taking the cup and patting Ksenia gently on the shoulder. Ksenia leaned against the table, eyes closed and her face in a contented smile.

“Wha’s nesht then?” she asked Artemis. “Brandy’sh good. Really good. I ‘prove.”

“It better be. It’s dwarven, and guessing by the kick, old enough to drink on it’s own,” he said giving her a chuckle. Most of the crew was enjoying light conversation, keeping a side eye, and ear, open to the clearly intoxicated Craftmistress.

“That shplains it!” she smacked her loose fist onto the table. “Even Shtefan din’t have an’thing near as nishe, an’ he really liked his boosh,” she said. She looked a bit sad. “He was one of the nishe onesh. Mam ruint that like shhe alwaysh did.” She tapped her finger on the table. “Not like Raoul. He wash evil.” Looking up at Artemis, she said, “you shaid you wash a villain. Not like him. He, he wash th’ one who harr- harra - fondled Shally, an’ Megan, an’ Bettysh.” She pointed a finger at Artemis. “He wash th’ one, that Mam alwaysh took up forsh, shhe made me bring his drinksh, an’ told me I had to do whateversh he shaid. He took ‘vantage a’ that, tell you. Shhoved me round, pushhed me on that table -” She stopped and swallowed. “He shhoved my dressh up -”

“Kessy,” Artemis interrupted, putting his hand firmly on her shoulder. “Let’s get you to sleep.”

Ksenia looked up at him blinking. “If you shay sho. You’re zhe bosh.” She shrugged loosely and started heading off toward the tunnel.

“Wait there, Kessy,” he said to her, stopping her short of the stairs. He got alongside her with his arm around her waist. “Alright, down we go.”

Ksenia giggled and she threw her arm around his shoulders. “I betsh you shay zat to all zhe ladiesh,” she said, leaning into him as they made their way down the steps.

“You got me, that I do,” he said, giving her a gentle squeeze as they reached the bottom of the steps. He shoved the door open and moved her into the room, closing it behind himself with his foot. He then shuffled them over to the bed. “Alright, you okay to go to sleep in this?” he asked her before setting her onto the bunk.

“Ish a bed, Art’mish. S’wat you’re shposht to shleep on,” she said, shooting him a look that was probably intended to be scathing, but came out as a bit wall-eyed.

“I more meant your dress dear, but I’ll take that as a yes,” he replied with a soft chuckle.

“Ohhh, I gotsh it now!” She stood up wobbling and pulled her overdress off. The linen she’d bought for underdresses was unfortunately more suited to summer rather than winter. “There, unlesh you’re joinin’ me?” she said, tugging his hand with her as she sat down.

“I will, but stay here for just a second,” He said, giving her a wink. Then he was out the door and up the stairs. He waited until the crew quieted down when they noticed him holding a very shiny knife in his hand. “Alright then, not a word of this, ever, or I will find out and someone won’t be back to work the next day,” he said, letting his very serious gaze drift around the room. “Have a good night, seal that up, and thank you so much for the food Miss Lena.” Then he turned and moved back down into his room where he made sure the door was locked very securely.

Ksenia had moved on to the bed and against the wall to wait for Artemis. She’d stripped off her underdress, which was far too warm, and curled up on the mattress. ‘What’s taking him so long,’ she thought. Laying her head down on the mattress, she fell completely asleep in seconds.

Artemis looked over at the very naked and completely uncovered Ksenia and his heart caught. “What in the, oh idols,” he muttered as he grabbed a blanket and moved over to cover her. He tried very hard to not look her over, but his eyes and his brain disagreed just long enough for him to now have a very detailed image of what a drunk, naked, and drooling, Ksenia looked like.

With her covered he shucked his own outerwear and slid into the bed beside her. He’d wrap himself in an extra blanket, maybe avoid at least a small touch of the fallout. Then he curled up next to her, laying his arm across her stomach and nuzzling near the hollow of her neck. “Night, Craftmistress. Don’t murder me in the morning please,” he said softly before letting the warmth and softness of the new fleece mattress lull his exhausted mind to sleep.

[Artemis Black]

'No. I don’t want that. No. Don’t touch me. No. I’m not lying. No. I can’t.'
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Ksenia whimpered in her sleep as flashes of past memories flitted through her mind. “No,” she mumbled, her voice as soft in her dreams as in reality. Philcox. He was the first - but not the last. Idols take her, not the last by far. Twitching, she tried to dodge the hands in her dreams. “No,” she said, pushing the hands away. They kept grabbing. “No,” she cried. “Don’t!”

Artemis snapped awake, or tried to at least. He felt exhausted and a bit delirious, he was also being attacked. Hearing Ksenia’s voice in soft protestations brought him closer to awake. “Kessy? Where are you?” He reached out and his arm got smacked. “Kessy?”

A whimper, followed by a mumbled “don’t touch me!” came from his side, next to the wall. Someone was thrashing there, wrapped in a blanket. Slowly, the night trickled back into Artemis’s consciousness. The mattress. Dinner. The Dwarven brandy. Ksenia, drunk and naked. Swearing the crew to silence. Covering Ksenia with a blanket. Crawling into bed.

“Kessy?” He slid his hand up the mattress, trying to find somewhere he could shake her awake with a careful hand. Something soft thumped into his hand, bouncing off only to land again. He realized it was her cheek, and he reached up to cup her face in his hands. “Kessy!”

Someone was calling her, calling Kessy. Artemis. He was the only one who called her that. Why was he here? Hands grabbed her face, softly, but still restraining. No, no, no, no - the hands, the hands would hurt her. She whimpered. “Kessy!” Artemis’s voice said loudly. Artemis. Maybe he’d help her, get her away from the hands. She tried to lunge forward, toward his voice, but she couldn’t move. “Help me,” she whispered. She fought against whatever held her, finally breaking free and pushing herself forward. Reaching out, she found arms - arms that welcomed her, arms that were nothing like the grabbing reaching hands in her dreams.

She opened her eyes but she couldn’t see anything. “Artemis? Are you there?” she said, her voice fuzzy. The arms were holding her, safe against whatever lurked in the shadows, but the shadows were still there. “Help me,” she said, her voice coming out in a sob. “I don’t want - I can’t-” she mumbled, turning into the arms that held her as she felt tears start to fall.

Artemis had never been very good with tears, and having a still apparently drunk, crying half-elf laying on him was definitely on the edges of his experience. “Kessy, I swear to all the idols, if you don’t stop moving I’m going to bite the shit out of you,” he growled at her as she flailed again. “You are in my bed, we were asleep, I’m guessing you had a shit dream. Mine wasn’t great either. You are very naked, and, as much as I appreciate that, it’s also very dark. Please stop hitting me.” All of this came out without a breath between it. He hoped she’d be either distracted or aware enough to calm down.

Ksenia heard about half the words of Artemis’s tirade, but the intent was clear enough. “Artemis?” she said, forcing herself to hold still. He shifted under her and got his arms wrapped around her properly.

“I’m here, you’re safe. Well, as safe as being in bed with me can be,” he said, chuckling softly and giving her a squeeze.

Ksenia tried to laugh, but hiccupped instead. “Safe enough, I guess,” she said raggedly. “I’m sorry. I hope I didn’t hit you very hard,” she said in a quiet apologetic voice.

“Hardly, it was mostly just really annoying,” he tapped her on the forehead. “Also, I was worried you were going to throw away my blanket too, and I am not ready to explain nipple to nipple contact.”

“What?”

“You apparently get… uh… frisky when you drink. I went upstairs to make sure things were okay after putting you in bed. You got naked and sprawled out drooling. So I got us separate blankets.”

Ksenia was quiet a moment. “It’s a good thing it’s so damn dark in here, because I’m pretty sure that one, my face has actually turned into a beet, and two, I’m never going to live this down, am I.” She slumped forward and buried her face into the blanket that was apparently Artemis’s and also apparently over his chest.

“I really am sorry about - freaking out. And hitting you. And probably yelling in your ear,” she mumbled into the blanket. She shivered, remembering pieces of the dream. “So many hands in so many bad places,” she sighed, turning her face to the side. She curled her hands up under her chin.

“Hey, I’m not worried about it too much. Are you feeling better, does holding you help or hurt?” He asked, giving her an experimental hug against his chest. “And yes, I can totally feel your face. You’re very warm, it’s nice. And sorry about down, you know. Can’t control that, but I promise I didn’t intentionally grab anything.” He shifted slightly and felt around before finding her discarded blanket with his feet. “Your blanket is down there if you want it, otherwise you can share mine.”

"Being safe helps. Knowing that if I asked, you'd let me go, helps," she said. "I do like it when Deb holds me. I trust her." Ksenia shifted her head slightly. "Guess that means I trust you too. I feel like I'm - protected, sort of."

"As for, um, the downstairs, I'm going to try very much to just ignore that for now." She frowned. "Where is my blanket? Or is that just what you're telling me so I don't think about hurting you while you're asleep?"

“Feet, my right, kinda going off the end. And trust me, if I was going to lie to you it'd be for more than a blanket. Maybe if you'd kissed me or gotten handsy. Just the blanket though, and the drooling on my pillow.”

"Oh idols, please don't tell me that I - I groped you," she squeaked.

"I mean, maybe when you were going all murder hands, but nothing I remember. You just started talking about very serious stuff and I got you to bed. You uh- certainly seemed, interested. Before the drooling part. If I didn't know better I'd think you were a tease."

"Oh. Oh no." She shook her head. "That's it, then. I think my head may explode out of pure mortification. Starting with my ears." She wiggled down and caught the spare blanket. Wrapping it over her face she mumbled, "please bury me with my pocket, you can keep the rest."

Artemis groaned softly. "Ok, don't do that. The wriggling thing. And you can't die of embarrassment, I've tried." He pulled the blanket off her face carefully. "Get settled again so we can go back to sleep. Or I'll rub your ears gently until you pass out from shock."

"Denying me my one salvation? That's cruel, Artemis." Ksenia rolled toward the wall. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"Usually they say that afterwards, not in the middle, but you're welcome. Sorry this wasn't a bit more relaxed." He put a hand on her shoulder. "Can I- cuddle you again?" he asked very quietly.

"Hmm? Yeah," Ksenia said drowsily. She turned back to face him and put her arm over his ribs. "G'night," she yawned and curled into him. Artemis curled up around her, very thankful for the two layers of blanket between them, but eagerly pressing into her for warmth. After several long minutes of listening to her even breathing he drifted back to sleep.

[Artemis Black]

Artemis came awake very aware that it was just before dawn. It was still pitch black in the room, but that hadn’t mattered for years now. He knew it was just before dawn because that’s simply when he woke up. It didn’t matter when he went to sleep. This had led to some terribly inconvenient late night forrays and he’d finally accepted this was how he functioned.

He was at least very pleasantly warm and comfortable. The fleece was blessedly soft and seemed to keep his body heat rather than sap it. Add on to that a half-elf companion and it was likely one of his better mornings. He opened his eyes and grinned. Nothing in his vision changed, it was still pitch black, but he could see her regardless.

“Hey, Kessy. It’s time to greet the sun,” he said softly next to her ear. He’d have paid quite a lot to watch a half-elf come awake in the light, but this would do. He gave her a gentle squeeze and waited.

“Why. Why do I have to get up. It’s too early.” She pulled her blanket over her head and rolled over. “Is there even tea here?” she asked, her voice muffled.

“Probably not. Maybe ask Lena to start making some,” he said, squeezing the side of her stomach. “Now come on, you have to go to school,” he added, the grin plain in his voice. “Besides, I might convince you to get dressed with the torch lit if you’re still sleepy.”

“No,” she grumbled. “Nice try. I don’t do school. Never did.” She pushed herself up on her elbows. “Ugh. By the idols, my head.” She flopped back, pushing her palms against her face. “Drinking that brandy - bad idea. Not doing that again,” she muttered.

“Fair, I’ll take your share,” he said, wiggling his way to the edge of the bed. “And you’re due at O’Dells in around two hours. Which gives you about an hour of time to dally about.”

“Who said anything about taking my share? I just won’t drink that much at one time again.” She rolled over and crawled to the edge of the bed, leaning against Artemis’s back . “Do you have any idea where my clothes ended up?”

“Not in the slightest, stay here. I’ll get the light and look at the wall for a bit. You get dressed, and when you feel decent enough we can go get food.”

“You’re being awfully kind to someone who, by your own accounts, got drunk, naked, and drooled on your pillow before waking you up with nightmares.” She yawned. “Also I’m trying to ignore the fact that you’ve probably seen me naked more than anyone else other than Deb.”

“Well, to your credit, everything up to the nightmares is typically part of the fun part. And yes, I do happen to know what your nipples look like. So wait a minute and then let’s get going.” He said, standing from the bed and moving to ignite the small lantern by the door.

Ksenia frowned at him. “Do you have to phrase it that way? Here I was trying not to be all self-conscious and you’ve nipped that in the bud.” She held the blanket to herself as she squinted, trying to find her underdress. “I may as well get fresh clothes,” she sighed, pulling herself out of bed and going over to the piles she’d made the day before. Fishing around, she pulled out an underdress, the blue wool dress she’d fixed and embroidered, and her thickest pair of wool stockings, all of which she faced away from Artemis, who had fallen back into the bunk and faced the wall, to put on.

“You’d think it would, but that sound never gets old,” he said bobbing his head slightly in boredom.

“What’s that?” she said, bending to pull on her second stocking.

“The sound of rustling clothes after the fact,” he replied, waving his hand over his shoulder.

Ksenia’s face grew hot. “But we didn’t - at least, you never said -”

“Same sound Kessy, and you’re still pure in my eyes.” He chuckled softly at the phrase, not used to saying it.

Ksenia laughed mirthlessly. “Pretty sure that’s not true for most people, and only if you have very particular definitions of pure.” She tugged her dress into place. “You can stop pretending to safeguard my ‘decency’ or whatever now.”

“I’m not safeguarding anything, that’s for my own protection. You might make my clothes uncomfortable or leave needles,” he said, grinning as he rolled over and hopped out of the bed. “Alright, don’t look down and I’ll get my pants on. Then we make a run on whatever provisions we’ve got,” he said wiggling his hips for emphasis.

“I won’t look, goodness. Besides, you know that Mr. O’Dell keeps very extensive measurements on you, if I was curious.” Ksenia slumped into one of the chairs by the table. She yawned and stretched her arms.

“I still have to tempt you or it wouldn’t be any fun.” Artemis shuffled into his pants, twisting and arranging himself before shoving his feet into his boots and tossing on his remaining fisherman’s tunic.

“Even though you know I’m going to say no?” Ksenia said, leaning on the armrest.

“It’s about being appreciated,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders while he strapped on his temporary arm guards. “Really hope the leatherboys show up today. These are starting to chafe a bit.”

“Come here, let me see if I can fix them,” Ksenia said, sitting up. “Maybe I can give you something to wear under them?” Artemis moved over and held his arms out to her with an eager smile. She ran a finger under the edge, frowning slightly. “Where are they rubbing the worst?”

“Outside, just below the wrist. Likely because of the weight of the daggers and the pull of the ground.” He pointed to the area just where the skin was faintly reddened. The color was very obvious against his pale skin.

“Well - you could trim that back a bit. Put a sleeve on under the guards to keep it from rubbing right on your skin.” She thought for a moment, head in hand. “Hold on a minute. I don’t suppose you know how wide your shoulders are?”

“Uh, about yay wide?” he said unsure and holding his arms out at his shoulder width.

Ksenia smirked and held the underdress she’d had on yesterday up to his shoulders. The dress was slightly more narrow than his shoulders. “Give me a knife,” she said, making a decision. “Oh, and take off your tunic for a minute.”

Artemis’ eyes got a little wide. “I don’t feel safe,” he said as he removed his shirt and handed her his belt knife.

Rolling her eyes, Ksenia came around to his front. “Hold this, right here at the shoulders,” she said, handing him the dress. After he’d done so, she grabbed the side seam and sliced it across at the armpits. She took the neckline and cut a split at the center. “Okay. Take the guards off and put this on.”

Artemis shrugged and did as she asked. It felt a little odd but he grinned. “I feel so pretty.” He moved to return the knife holders and adjusted them slightly to prevent them slipping.

“Try that for today and see if that doesn’t help some,” Ksenia said, with a bit of a grin. She turned and grabbed her bag, stuffing a dress and her red top into it. Shaking out her dress from yesterday, her pocket fell on the floor and she scooped it up to tie around her waist, pulling her skirt up to fix the ties. “You can put your shirt back on, you know.”

“I was enjoying the breeze,” he said before getting his tunic back on over his head. “I feel like I’m wearing a tiny sweater.” He moved towards the door and unbarred and unlocked it before pulling it in. The hall was still dark and he felt a little bad about not shutting his lantern first. “Get the light,” he whispered as he stepped out into the hall.

Ksenia slung her bag over her shoulder, checking that she had clothes and the wool for her dress. She closed the slide on the lantern and felt her way out the door. “So dark,” she said, trying to figure out where the bunks were so she wouldn’t walk into them.

“Right here, the bunks are down the hall, just the stairs and us.” Artemis said, moving beside her and guiding her to the steps. When they reached the top he popped open the barrel door and moved out into the faint morning light of the warehouse. The temporary furniture was all moved out of the way. He led them outside and grinned when he spotted Lena working at a pot beside the wagon. There were also several children and two dogs moving around the work yard.

“Good morning Chef Lena,” Artemis said. The woman flinched slightly and then returned his smile.

“Good morning yourself Mister Black. The Foreman told me his crew could do with a nice warm broth in the morning, so here I am. Still got enough for a solid lunch barring folks needing seconds,” she said, tapping her ladle on the edge of a simmering pot.

“That’ll be wonderful, and please do come see me this afternoon about figuring out the full arrangement. I think you’ve more than proven you’re capable.” Artemis looked over as a particularly loud series of children’s shrieks of joy came from the yard. “Happy to see that happening, I’ll want to find out about getting some grass put down out here and see if we can’t turn this into a nice place to be rather than a mud pit.”

He knew children playing meant people were watching. The more he got the locals involved in the Hall’s success, the more likely they’d have word of mouth to attract more crafters. In the end it was just good business to make the place one where people wanted to be. Add on that if there were regular visitors there’d be food stalls and trinket sellers, and suddenly making the taxes and paying back O’Dell’s loan seemed well within reach.

“They’d appreciate it I think,” Lena said, smiling at the children. “My brother should be back in a few days, I’d appreciate if you’d meet him so I don’t have to explain things alone.” She grabbed a wooden bowl and ladled a heaping portion of steaming broth into it.

“Of course, happy to help,” Artemis said, accepting the bowl and letting it warm his hands in the cool morning air. Ksenia moved up next to him, taking a bowl for broth as well.

“Thank you,” Ksenia said, as Lena ladled steaming broth into her bowl. “Um, apparently I was rather drunk last night. Sorry if I was rude, I’m afraid I can’t remember much.” She sipped the warm broth and smiled. “It’s delicious.” Turning away from Lena, she watched the children playing. “If you’re putting in grass, you might want to leave a bit of packed dirt open for the children who want to play with marbles and - what’s that game, where you draw on the ground and hop in different spots?” She frowned, remembering seeing children playing it, but not the name.

“Hopstone,” Lena replied helpfully, moving back to stirring her broth slowly to prevent burning. Artemis simply shrugged, not having played many games or watched many children.

“Yes, that. Anyway, I would - I think you should set aside a little spot for that,” Ksenia said, sipping her broth. “Maybe find some stones and paint them, make them colorful, for the children to use.”

“Perhaps I’ll appoint you community relations and groundskeeper,” Artemis said, giving her a grin between sips of broth.

“Nope, I’m already Craftmistress. That’s more than enough responsibility.” She held her bowl thoughtfully. “Although, if you wanted to keep some of the crew on, I think you know who I’d suggest.” She tipped her bowl back to sip a little more. Artemis took a loud slurp of his broth and sighed in happiness before placing the bowl onto Lena’s crate.

“Thank you again, and we should get going so we can pretend the Craftmistress is bright-eyed and bushy tailed.” Ksenia rolled her eyes, smiling, and finished the last of the broth. She set the bowl down next to Artemis’s and waved as they left the workyard headed for O’Dell’s.

“I wonder how long Mr. O’Dell will keep me there,” Ksenia said, walking down the road. It was quiet this early in the morning; only a few wagons were out and a handful of people roamed about. “He said something about three days, but I suspect it’s going to be longer. Although my hands do feel much better.”

“My guess, since you can take the exam whenever you want if there’s a master recommending you, is however long he thinks you need,” Artemis said giving her a grin. “If I remember correctly, he said the focus would be on the technical knowledge more than the actual skill.” After a moment he added, “Though if it’s more than three days I’ll likely come looking. You’re a part of the team after all.”

She lifted her hands. “Honestly, at this point, it’s probably for the best that I be out of the way. The crew still has plenty of work to do - which I can’t help with in the slightest - and it’s not like there are applications I need to consider. Besides, you’ll probably be run off your feet, talking to the neighbors, getting supplies, keeping Amalia away from Deb, and probably going over to the Hart at least some times.” She gave him a half-smile. “If you do, say hi to Dáire for me, and remind him I’m happy to make him something. He was nice on that contract we worked on.”

Ksenia sighed. “You know how you said last night it feels like you’ll lose everything the closer you get? That’s how I feel right now. Like I’m going to be a complete mess at the exam, or ruin something to the point where I’m kicked out on my backside,” she said. She kicked at a rock and sent it ricocheting across the street. “Speaking of, try to remember what I said about Jacobus. It’d be safer for all of us,” she said gravely, but with a smile to take some of the sting out.

“I- yeah. Probably would. Need to talk to Kat too, once all this is settled a bit,” he said as he waved to the guards at the South District gate. They didn’t react, but he felt like it was a good habit to get into, knowing the guards a few streets from his business. He should bring them some food and drink some time.

“Mm, do me a favor and don’t mention my name. I’m not entirely sure why but she really doesn’t seem to like me.” Ksenia bumped him with her elbow. “But yeah, as a friend, and as someone who’s technically a partner in your business, try to be careful, okay? I know you adore Katarya, but she’s not the only person around who you can talk to, or ask for a hug, so do that.” She cleared her throat. “Don’t just hop into a random bed for five minutes of warmth. It’s an expensive five minutes in the long run.”

Artemis just nodded, deep in his own thoughts as he realized she was attempting to help steer him away from the exact thing he’d felt terrified of doing. “That’s a good plan I think. It’s why you’re in charge,” he said giving her a grin. “Always having the good plans.”

“Not always, but every now and then I can see ways to fix things. It’s like trying to alter clothes. Take it in, let it out, change a seam here or there and it fits much better.” She smirked. “Probably why I can’t do it to myself.” She reached over and hugged his shoulders.

“I mean, if it involves draping you or Kat in skimpy sheer fabrics I’m pretty sure I can clear my schedule immediately.”

Ksenia stuck her tongue out at him. “And now I question why I try to be nice to you.” She bopped his upper arm lightly.

“Because you know I mean that in the most platonic way possible, while still respecting that even though you’re attractive and I’d be totally into it you’re not and that’s enough for me to not seriously try.”

“Somehow, that’s both relieving and disappointing at the same time.”

“Sounds about right. Also, I am pretty sure I like Kat’s hips a lot more. They’re just so… grabbable,” he said, laughing uproariously when he looked over at her expression.

“Thanks, Artemis. Just what I need to hear.” She looked over at him, perturbed. The remainder of their walk to the Fine Gentleman’s Attire passed in companionable silence.