to treasure a thousand words, a thousand years

Blake stepped out of the carriage and looked around. This was a very small town. Frosthollow, while spread out, could have some high-density population areas. She had seen apartment buildings before along with how tightly packed together houses could be. It was all from the safety of a carriage window, but she had seen it before even if she’d never experienced it. The cabbie helped her out and she stepped down. The front of the house was beautifully decorated and fading plants crept up trusses against the brickwork. She did shift Kalena’s weight on her arm before walking up to the house. It felt strange to be doing this herself. Even when it came to visiting extended family in the castle, the Weapons handled it. It was the first time she had never knocked on a door that wasn’t in her family’s quarters. The door opened and a little old lady greeted her. “Good afternoon, Your Highness. Please, come in.” The woman moved aside and Blake walked in. This…was not a house. It looked like a tailor’s shop. She’d been to the royal seamstresses enough to know the tools of the trade. It did fit from what little she knew of common people she knew. They operated their businesses out of their homes. The first floor was usually dedicated to the business, at least of the women’s quarters. “Is there anywhere I can put Kalena?” That was kind of her primary concern. The eagle was incredibly heavy. It hadn’t been so bad in the carriage, but standing here… Yeah, it would eventually get way too heavy. It wasn’t like she had her brush-beating walking stick or was letting Kalena soar on thermals. It was full eagle without any support. “This way.” The old woman led Blake out to a courtyard between two houses with a curtain cutting the yard in half. She saw no windows in the other house. She had heard of men’s quarters before, but had never seen them. It was so weird to actually see for once. It was hard to think this was the most common house configuration in Sodocroa. Blake got Kalena settled into the foreign mews and the eagle flapped her wings a bit. “It’s not green. Why is it not green?” Blake sighed. “Not everyone can afford to pain their mews green.” Birds were so weird. They could get upset by the smallest things. The royal falconer had done a fairly good job with Kalena, but mews color apparently wasn’t one of those things. This was really dumb. Birds could be so dumb sometimes. With that done, she withdrew from the mews and smoothed her skirt out a bit. “I hope you can forgive me. Getting Kalena settled was of the utmost importance. I’m Blake Donati.” She gave a slight nod to the old woman. She was royalty, so she probably didn’t need to introduce herself. The purple spoke for itself. Though she would definitely want to change out of that the first chance she got… “Not here, you aren’t.” Blake’s ears flattened at the woman’s tone. How rude! How dare she speak to the Donati family like that! “I’m Ninlil Busto and you’ll be Blake Busto while you’re here. While your Peregrination is a journey, you’re still to listen to the host family’s matriarch while you’re here. And I’m the family matriarch. You will be put to work while you’re here.” This was the first she’d ever heard of thisrule. She didn’t want to work! She was supposed to be hunting in the field with Kalena! The queen was going to be outraged when she learned about this! “I see.” Her ears remained flat. If she was working all day, how was she supposed to meet up with Weiss? SHe wasn’t liking any of this. She had thought she’d be free while out here, but that wasn’t the case apparently. She would have to call her mother and ask about this. Was this wat she’d gone through too? “Follow me.” Ninlil led Blake up to the second floor of the front house. Several children ran around while a couple of women sat nearby, obviously gossiping. “This is where you’ll be staying. The family sleeps all together.” What? No privacy? She wanted to curl up and die! How was she supposed to change or anything of the like?! This was awful! “Is there anywhere I can have a private conversation?” She didn’t want anybody to overhear her if she was talking to her family…or maybe even Weiss. She still wasn’t sure about all of that. She was still entirely offput by the fact Weiss was human. She was trying to not be upset by it but she was. Humans were so horrible and would stop at nothing to take over the world… They already led far more nations than Faunus did. “You’ll have to leave if you wanna do that.” Ninlil shrugged, making Blake sigh. She was afraid of that. She was so used to privacy in the castle. It was important for royal family members to maintain as much as possible. How could people possibly live like this? No privacy, working day in and day out, not able to take her eagle out as she pleased… She already hated all of this. This wasn’t shaping up to be what she had hoped for. Even so, she needed to change to not look like a member of the royal family… She got in her bag and puled out some light blue clothes with a corset. The women and children in the room weren’t paying any attention to her. Uncomfortably, she shed her clothes and started to struggle with the corset. She was so used to having an attendant help her with it. A gentle hand on her back made her glance over her shoulder. “I can help you with that, sweetie.” The woman smiled kindly and Blake gave an uncomfortable nod. Within a short time, she was fully clothed again. It felt so strange to not be in purple. It was practically expected of royal family members to wear it all the time. But she’d grabbed her non-purple outfits so she could blend in a little more effectively. “Thanks,” she replied reluctantly. It felt so wrong to thank a commoner. She was supposed to be above them. They were to serve her and she was always be above them. But that wasn’t the case here… She was living withthem. She really didn’t know how to deal with any of this. She really didn’t want to change how she thought or interacted with the world. “No problem, sweetie. I’m Annelyn Busto. What’s your name?” The woman smiled, a legitimate kindness behind her eyes. This was so strange. Only her mother and siblings treated her with warmth along with some members of her extended family. Otherwise, it was all humble servitude. How was she supposed to act to a commoner not treating her like that? “Blake.” She wasn’t a Donati anymore apparently. That still felt so wrong too. She always had her family name to fall back on. She had known she was to live with commoners but she hadn’t expected to be stripped of almost everything. Of course, keeping herself during her Peregrination was important. She hadn’t expected it to go to thisextent to do that. “Well, sweetie. Is there something I can help you with?” Annelyn continued to smile warmly. She always asked things of servants, but she’d never asked anything in the manner before. She really needed to talk to her mother and let Weiss know she’d arrived. Maybe they could set up a meeting so they could talk or something. “Where’s the best place to make a private call?” Annelyn tilted her head. “Why do you need to do that? Ain’t no need to keep secrets here. We’re all family.” Blake sighed. “I’m not used to letting everyone know my affairs. Royals have a type of privacy you don’t understand.” She kept her tone matter of fact, trying to not offend the woman. She didn’t need to make enemies of the people she was staying with. There were so many things these commoners simply wouldn’t understand. Annelyn frowned. “There is a call center in the downtown. I suppose I can take you there. Don’t you want to get settled in first?” Blake shook her head. She wanted to talk to her mother now. Well, more like twenty minutes ago at this point. She really needed to see what she had to say about all of this. She had seemed to look back fondly on her Peregrination. How could she do that if thesesorts of rules existed? “All right. Well, let’s get you saddled up and I’ll show you the way to get to the downtown.” Annelyn led her out to the back and Celia greeted Blake with a whinny. The woman handed Blake a saddle and bridle but Blake stared at her. How was she supposed to do this? She always had a stablehand take care of Celia. It wasn’t for royalty to sully their hands with. Annelyn sighed. “All right, all right. I’ll show you how to do it.” Thankfully, it didn’t seem too hard and Blake picked it up pretty quickly. With that out of the way, they started out toward the main part of town. This was a quaint little town when compared to Frosthollow. People milled about their business, not paying Blake and Annelyn any heed. It was strange to be riding in the open like this instead of the carriage with armored Weapons fro protection. All of this was so very strange to her. She was only vaguely aware of Annelyn speaking to her, though Celia kept a close ear out. It took about twenty minutes to arrive at a street with some taller buildings and a street a fair few people passed through. Annelyn led her into a building with a lot of curtained off booths. Despite Blake sensing a lot of people inside, it was fairly quiet. “All right, this is the call center. If you want to make a private call, this is the place to do it. I’ll wait for you to do it this time, but you’re on your own after this.” “All right.” Not that Blake wantedthe woman to wait on her. Though it was strange to not have a Weapon standing behind her now. She was so used to having two or three weapons rotate out and be with her at all times. It was simply part of being a Donati. She always had a shadow when leaving her family’s quarters. She walked up to a counter and a man greeted her. “How long? A tyurop for half an hour or two auls for a full hour. Crefi for two hours.” Blake’s brow furrowed. How long did she need? She wasn’t sure. “Can I pay for extra time?” She doubted she would need longer than half an hour, but in case she did… She really had no idea how any of this worked. It had never been explained to her. She’d only known one way of life for so long. She at least had a pretty good sum of money on her. If she needed anything, she could buy it. “Tyurop for each extra half hour. Now how long you need?” She handed him the coin and he led her over to a booth, then cross the curtain behind her. She tapped on her teibas and brought up her contacts. Her mother or Weiss first? Well, the conversation with her mother would probably be longer. She really only needed to let Weiss know she was here. So she tapped on Weiss’ picture on the interface. It rang and then a black and white image of her appeared. It said something in a foreign language but the, but the tone and brevity (along with the color) betrayed it to be the answerer. The tone sounded and Blake spoke. “Hey, Weiss. It’s Blake. Wanted to let you know I arrived. Please leave a message if you want to talk to me. I didn’t realise that commoners didn’t have much privacy in their homes.” She sighed, wishing that she had something more definitive for Weiss. But at least she knew they could talk now, hard as it would be. With that done, she tapped on her mother’s picture. It took a minute, but a full image of her appeared. “Oh, Blake! I wasn’t expecting to hear from you so soon! How are things?” Jatta smiled warmly and Blake sighed, her ears drooping over. “I already hate it. Ninlil said I have to work and there’s no privacy! Was this this how it was when you went on your Peregrination?” She wanted to go home. She wanted things to go back to the way had always been. “And I have to be polite to the commoners.” That was the worst part. Commoners were meant to serve royalty. Royalty wasn’t supposed to be polite or even indebted to those below them. She was supposed to marry a duke or dutchess and reign over the people, not grovel at their feet. It was absolutely insulting to have to do this. She hated all of it. “I wish you hadn’t taken your Peregrination so soon. I could’ve explained these things to you. Yes, you have to work. Yes, you have to learn to get along with commoners. Yes, there’s a lack of privacy if you’re in a traditional Sodocroan home. It’s going to be very difficult at first, but that’s the pointof the journey. You’ll look back on it fondly when you’re older. I promise.” Jatta’s tone was warm and she smiled at Blake. Blake’s ears only drooped. She knew the point was to learn about the world and oneself, but she hadn’t expected this. She was royalty. She shouldn’t be forced to work! “But I don’t want to work. That’s for commoners. I should be able to hunt with Kalena all day if I want to.” She had lessons in the castle that took up most of her day. She really didn’t mind that. But the Peregrination was supposed to be able for her to enjoy life. It she should be about her exploring life outside of the castle in her own way. She really ought to be able to fly and hunt with Kalena. “You’ll have to listen to the matriarch you’re staying with. That’s all there is to it. You don’t have any choice.” That was not what Blake wanted to hear. At all. She should be able to do what she want. It wasn’t fair she had to perform physical labor. “Fine.” “It’ll get better with time. You haven’t been away from home for more than a few hours. Please tryto adapt before completely turning it down.” Jatta’s smile held. Blake gave a defeated nod. She wasn’t having wat she wanted to. She was royalty! She was above this physical labor! But she was apparently going to have to learn to become a seamstress. This wasn’t fair. She was supposed to be able to meet up with Weiss when she wanted. “I’ll try.” That was all she could promise. She wanted to go out and fly Kalena. It was what she’d been planning on doing after she got changed. Would she ever be allowed to fly her eagle? Would she be able to meet up with Weiss? If not, they would never get to know each other. She still wasn’t fond of Weiss being human, but part of her still wanted to get to know her. “You can do it, Blake; I know you can. You can trust Ninlil. She’s a shrewd woman but she’s got a good heart. I love you. I believe in you.” Jatta’s image disappeared, leaving Blake in silence. She hated al of this. How was she supposed to handle this? It all went against everything she’d been taught. Her mother believed in her, but she didn’t believe in herself. She was only doing this grudgingly. Weiss was the only reason she’d left. She’d still be happy and comfortable if not for that human… She left the booth and walked over to Annelyn. “I suppose I’m done.” She folded her arms. She wanted to be back in her room with Alya and her mother. It would be so much nicer than if she were here. She still couldn’t believe any of this. She was going to have to work. As a royal.How terrible. Annelyn nodded and led her outside. With that done, they mounted and headed back to the house.

✧

Blake walked into the courtyard and saw Ninlil sitting in a chair. The old woman looked at her and waved her over. “Let’s sit and talk, Blake.” Blake sighed but nodded, then sat in the chair next to her. It was uncomfortable and made of wood without padding. How did anybody sit in these? It was terrible and uncomfortable. “Apparently, your mother did a terrible job at preparing you for this. She was humbled and ready to work by time she came to live with us.” Ninlil sipped some water. Blake’s ears drooped over. “I didn’t have much time. The queen told me to wait or take it today. I couldn’t wait.” She wasn’t sure how long Weiss would be here. She hadn’t been able to wait. If she had taken the couple of weeks, Weiss might very well be gone and they would have missed their chance. She’d waited years to be able to meet her. She really did not want to waste her one chance. Again, she still wasn’t happy about Weiss being a human, but she still wouldn’t pass up this chance. “Hm. It’s quite rare for the Peregrination to be a snap decision. It’s normally planned out at least a few weeks in advance. What made you decide to leave so suddenly?” Blake was silent at that. The Peregrination was the chance to do what she wanted. Still, she felt the need to hide the truth that was Weiss from everyone. It would reflect so poorly on the Donati family for it to be known a member was talking to a human. “Don’t just sit there and stare at me, young lady! Say something!” Blake’s ears flattened at that. “It’s none of your business.” It really wasn’t. Yes, she was staying with the Busto family. But that didn't mean they were entitled to all of her private thoughts and feelings. How did people live like that? She could keep plenty of things to herself at home. She really didn’t need to tell these people anything. “If you want to have my trust, you need to be able to trust me first. If you don’t tell me what you want and need, then you’ll only be treated the same as any member of the family.” Ninlil huffed and Blake looked away, arms folded. She didn’t need to treat this old woman with any respect. She was being unnecessarily pushy. She ought to be able to do what she wanted without telling anybody. She was royalty. She was entitled to privacy. “I had somebody to meet.” That was all she was willing to say on the matter. The woman didn’t need to know who, why, or where. That was all that mattered. She hoped she’d be able to see Weiss every few days. It was the entire reason she’d taken her Peregrination in the first place. She really hadn’t had any choice but to take it unless she wanted to potentially miss Weiss. “Oh, do you now?” She felt Ninlil’s Seraphic shift with curiosity. She wasn’t getting anything more out of Blake. She simply wasn’t. This old woman didn’t need to know she she was meeting. It probably wouldn’t even go anywhere. She was royalty while Weiss was a simple foreign human. “How often would you like to meet this person?” “None of your business.” She heard Ninlil sigh and her Seraphic dropped. “I suppose I can give you shortened hours, but that means you’ll be making less money. You have savings now, but they won’t last forever if you’re loose with it. The only money you’ll get right now is from working with us.” Blake internally groaned. That was great.Thankfully, she did have pretty robust savings with her. About the only thing she tended to buy was incense when she went to chapel. Everything else was provided for her free of charge. “That would be agreeable.” The less she had to work, the better in her book. She wanted as much alone time as possible. She wouldn’t be getting much of it while here. She really hated it. How did people live like this? Sharing rooms with others, no privacy, constantly having people poke their noses into her business… It was abominable! It was all so terrible! “Since you’re a new trainee without any experience, I think I can offer you a heluzi for each hour you work.” Blake turned to look at Ninlil, her expression incredulous. Fifteen cents per hour? That was outrageous! She got to have a crefi every other day to put into her savings! That was worth twenty times a single heluzi! “And how many hours count as ‘reduced’?” She narrowed her eyes. “Normally, we work about ten hours, but with your eagle and your meetings, about six is what you’ll probably want.” Blake did the math. She wouldn’t even earn a whole aul for a day’s labor! Ninety cents for a whole day’s labor? She was being robbed! An aul was worth a hundred cents! “I deserve at leastan engune.” Twenty cents was still low when she got an entire crefi simply for living in the castle. Three hundred cents simply for existing. How could this woman lower her mere existence by more than a third?! Ninlil snorted. “Nope. Some of my best seamstresses can get up to a full smayin. You aren’t worth that kinda money yet. An engune is my starting rate for those with experience. I’m being generousby offering you a heluzi for each hour with zero skills.” Blake was absolutely outraged. How could this woman treat her so poorly? It was so outrageous! “Do you want me to report you to Queen—” “Bah. Queen Maryam won’t do a damn thing! She went through the Peregrination! And she lived in a time before minimum wage existed! Do you think she’s going to care about someone sticking to the rules of the Peregrination? She knows how it works!” Blake glared at Ninlil. She was a horrible person. She was trying to scam Blake out of money. Not that she really wanted to talk to Queen Maryam again so soon. She had already stretched the queen’s patience to its limit. Trying to talk to her about a matter of what amounted to pocket change would only incited her anger further. Blake got up and went to Kalena. The eagle tilted her head and Blake sighed. “We unfortunately won’t be able to hunt all day like I promised you.” She had promised the eagle hunting all day, everyday. It sounded like they would be able to go out more together than at the castle. Kalena got out almost everyday with the royal falconer. “It looks like I might have to choose between you and Weiss…” Kalena bent her head forward again and Blake gently stroked it. “It’s all right. It’s disappointing, but as long as I can get out at least three times a week, I should be fine.”She wished she could keep her promise. She had expected so much more freedom than this. She wanted to do what she felt was right. But that wasn’t going to happen no matter how much she screamed, cried, and fought for it…