Epsilon Twilight
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34. Noble
🕑 Added 2024-06-08 11:56:47 +0000 UTCNo one dared to move or speak before the emir left the audience hall. Whether it was out of respect or duty.
The first movement was that of Naila Asina. The sultanzade simply strode away from the multitude, unfazed by them. The cultivator gifted a single look at Aloe, whilst the motion was unreadable, the fact alone that she acknowledged her presence spoke volumes. I need to talk with her at some point, otherwise, she will talk to me on her own terms. Aloe knew how important it was timing, but sometimes it was better to take on a battle you weren't ready for just to get the high ground.
Next to move was Tamara, but her actions were less aggressive. The old scribe sighed in a mixture of exhaustion and laughter. She slowly approached Aloe, which made her escorts tense up a bit. Pure reflex rather than actual intimidation. The old woman was far from a menace when there had been two cultivators in the room barely a few moments ago.
"I am glad to see you, Aloe," Tamara said heartfeltly. "I… expected the worst when Rani didn't come back with you from the travel."
"It is also nice to see you, Tamara." The scribe of commoners answered diplomatically rather than emotionally. "Though I fear my current state is not one to be celebrated."
"I would not dare." The scribe of commerce looked down at her feet in remorse, but only talked back after she directed her eyes again at Aloe. "But you are alive. Maybe not safe and sound, but alive. And that is what matters more."
"I wish I could be as enthusiastic as you." The more the old family friend talked, the more it took Aloe out of her to keep her façade up.
She hated it here. She wanted to take a bath, fall on her bed, and cry to sleep. She couldn't deal with diplomacy right now – even that of non-political nature – but she had no other choice to do so. Alienating her few allies was the wrong choice.
"We will talk tomorrow, is that fine?" Aloe added with a wry smile.
"Of course." Tamara bowed and walked away without much fanfare.
The servants began moving into the room. Some left, their presence no longer needed, whilst others started cleaning now that the room wasn't being used. Only one person remained there besides the newly arrived entourage.
"Pardon my lack of knowledge, but I must suppose you are the new scribe of nobles, are you not?" Considering the woman hadn't reacted to her presence yet, Aloe started the conversation.
"You may suppose correctly." The noble lady answered with a formal bow yet refused to elaborate any further, instead choosing to remain on the spot.
Hard to get, are we? The scribe of commoners kept her contempt on her mind.
"My name is Aloe Ayad, and I am the scribe of commoners of Sadina," Aloe bowed slightly in her prone position, "may I ask yours?"
The woman smiled. Aloe had forgotten that people could have beauty beyond that of the gifted by the charm stance. No matter how captivating the expression was, though, the petite woman didn't blush. Such reactions had been beaten out of her. Thoroughly.
"Ruhena Faizan, scribe of nobles of Sadina, at your service." Ruhena performed an outstanding bow, one out of textbooks.
A people pleaser, understood. Aloe was less than fazed by the woman's swift movements. After spending that much time around sultanzade, Aloe had discovered how deep subterfuge and words could go. From her behavior alone she could tell the scribe of nobles didn't want any trouble, but at the same time, she would not go down to Aloe's level. Ruhena was a noble and she was a commoner, after all. The air of superiority of the woman was choking. Even more so when she noticed she wasn't even trying to act pompously.
"I would love to make your acquaintance, scribe Ruhena," The noble woman squinted for an instant at being talked with such informality. This alone told her that she didn't consider her an equal even if both of them were the personal scribes of Rani. Aloe continued, acting unaware of the gesture, "but I am currently exhausted from my journey. And my looks are far from suitable for the palace. If you are available after dinner, I would be more than happy to meet with you."
"My schedule is rather full at the moment…" Ruhena revealed, hiding her lips with a hand. "I do not believe I could afford a meeting at such a late hour, but… How about we meet right now?"
"Excuse me?" Aloe blinked at the words. "I am…" Not afraid. Not afraid. Fatima's words and lessons still stuck in the scribe's mind. "…at a lack of an understanding. Are we not talking to each other currently?"
"Menial talk cannot be considered a meeting, dear." The last word had a hint of derision. "As I have said, my schedule is rather full, but there are activities that take space that could be done in parallel with others."
"Such as?"
"Bathing," Ruhena responded matter-of-factly.
If the previous swift movements hadn't made Aloe blush, this proposition would. Or that was what should have happened. Not even the prospect of full nakedness intimidated her, since now she knew there was far worse out there. Instead, she saw the proposition in a pragmatic light.
"I would be delighted to optimize our time in such a manner," Aloe responded with a shit-eating grin.
Ruhena slightly backpedaled at the confirmation. The petite scribe didn't know if the noblewoman had been hinted at to her lack of tolerance for lewdness by third parties or if she just instinctively did so, but Ruhena wasn't going to get any amusement from her reactions.
"I… sure. I will lead the way." The bewilderment was enough of a reward for Aloe, but she was a woman of her word and motioned the soldiers to stand up.
The scribe of nobles walked with light feet, but nothing the hardened escorts couldn't manage. Why be this petty? The petty woman inquired. When they were all reaching the wing where the palace's baths were located, Aloe noticed the lack of servants.
"Stop," Aloe commanded at the soldiers, her hand raised in tandem. Surprisingly enough, Ruhena also stopped. "You, girl." She pointed at the only servant in the corridor.
"Me, venerable scribe?" The maid, who was way older than Aloe, spoke.
"Yes." She almost rolled her eyes. Who else could have she referred to? If she had spoken to Ruhena with such a demeanor, she might have gotten punished, regardless of their equal status as she was still a noble. "Scribe Ruhena and I are going to bathe, please send for more maids to assist us during our time in the bath."
"Understood, venerable scribe." The maid nodded and less Aloe's limited field of view.
Ruhena grinned at Aloe's display, the girl herself couldn't see where the amusement was, but she was thankful enough that the noble didn't comment on it.
When they arrived at the bath, one very glaring problem became far too obvious to ignore any longer.
"Could you please ask around servants if there are any wheelchairs in the palace?" Aloe asked Jamal and his men. One thing was bathing with women, another with men. "If there is not, then surely there will be one in the university. Send them there if that were to be the case." Which was bound to be likely.
"What about the bath, Lady Aloe?" Jamal voiced out of his own volition. "Should we carry you inside?"
Aloe bit her underlip. She doubted any maids in the palace had enough strength to carry her, they were closer to prostitutes than workers. The only women strong enough to carry her were cultivators – herself included – or…
"Fetch a female guard to be my escort on the bath," Aloe ordered.
Whilst not as common as men, women could be soldiers in Ydaz, unlike other countries where their role in martial disciplines was… limited to say the least. From experience, Aloe knew there were a handful of female guards in the palace. The trail of thought of the sultanzade was obvious, if a guard was going to be competent regardless of gender, then better for them to be women.
Once again, Ruhena examined her, but the noblewoman abstained from commenting. Instead, she referred to the soldiers that still remained in the changing room.
"Your presence is no longer needed. Guard the entrance or something, I will not tolerate men in the bathrooms purlieus whilst I am inside." Ruhena had the cadence of a noble with her words. It may have been seen as a given, but thanks to her privileged position, Aloe had interacted before with some nobles, and not many of them had the grandeur commoners may expect out of them.
"That is not possible," Jamal stated in a relaxed yet disciplined position.
"Excuse me?" The scribe of nobles led a hand to her chest in offense. "What do you mean that is not possible?"
"I have been commanded to follow Lady Aloe's orders and hers alone." The soldier held his ground. Whilst it was probably true, the faint grin drawn by the tips of his lips hinted to Aloe that he may be partially toying with the woman.
"And who exactly gave this order?" Ruhena crossed her arms in a mixture of superiority and rage. She looked like the type of person who had always been provided for and barely had to confront a 'no' in her life. Curiously enough, those were also the type of people who usually asked for loans.
"Her Majesty, Aaliyah-al-Ydaz herself." The imperial soldier's eyes blasted in cold fire.
"Oh." The noblewoman took a step backward as if she had been slapped.
And considering the deafening sound Aloe had heard in her mind, she might as well have been. Ruhena's visage got gnawed by nervousness and her eyes shifted uncontrollably in the search for help. They landed on the prone scribe.
"Scribe Aloe," For the first time, Ruhena referred to Aloe at the same level as her, "may you order the imperial soldiers to stay out of the bathrooms? You surely think too that their presence is indecorous for such activities?"
It would have been easy to delight in her suffering, but that would have been a foolish reaction. Driven by impulse rather than long-term planning. The best trail of action would be to increase her allies and weaken her enemies, toying with her would be the exact opposite of that.
However, I am curious about what truly pesters her. Is it indecency? She's the personal scribe of a sultanzade, I highly doubt that. Androphobia? That's more likely, I suppose, nobles tend to ignore the gazes directed at their naked bodies if those come from people they consider lesser so I doubt the gaze of guards would pester her. Sultanzade also acted like that, but Aloe doubted those people knew the concept of decency, to begin with.
"Of course." The scribe of commoners responded with a warm smile. "As much as I trust these men, some things should be kept out of sight. Jamal, could you retire to the bathroom entrance and prohibit the entrance of other men, servants or not, from coming to the baths? If they protest, make them know that this is the combined petition of the scribe of nobles and commoners."
"Understood, Lady Aloe." Jamal bowed to her and removed himself from the changing room along with his other soldier, Hassan.
"I…" Ruhena spoke after that, her tone shivering casually. "Thank you for that."
Aloe's eyes opened like plates. A noble thanking me? Ha! She almost laughed. And nearly cried. What would those words feel like coming from imperials?
"Fret not," the scribe of commoners smiled again at her, "I would not want to do anything that would make a fellow scribe uncomfortable. We serve the same liege, after all."
Ruhena returned her the smile, her visage had cleared a bit of the nervousness by now. Aloe's words had been calculated, seeding the idea of equality on the noble's mind but she was surprised to find no reaction to the rather obvious subterfuge. She's green. Too green. Possible androphobia, unbeknownst to basic court diplomacy, and unfamiliar with refusals… Where has Rani gotten this woman from? These things pointed out that Ruhena hadn't been trained with this position in mind. Maybe for the job of a scribe if Rani had put her here – Aloe believed the emir valued efficiency too much for the opposite to be true – but not for the diplomacy and interactions that went hand in hand with the position.
Soon a person entered the changing room, it was a woman coated in light armor. She wore a leather chest-plate with decorations of gold, white robes underneath, and a saber on her hip. A mixture of utility and display of Sadina's wealth.
"Venerable scribes," she bowed to both of the scribes. Her expression was extern, and it was to distinguish if it was born out of duty or tedium for having been chosen for the following task. "I will be your bathing companion for the afternoon."
"Marvelous," Aloe announced with fake glee. "Could you start undressing me then? My predisposition impedes me from doing so myself. Please, be careful, my ailing body is rather fragile."
The petite scribe was careful with her words and tone, seeming weak and frail. Not that she wasn't, but people reacted better to small girls in need. As much as she hated her limited stature, she couldn't deny there were some advantages.
The guard nodded and wordlessly assisted her. The swiftness of the woman's hands reminded Aloe of how her uncle Jafar sometimes assisted other guards in donning heavy armor. Plate armor, whilst highly protective, had the inconvenience of being difficult – if not near impossible – to wear by oneself. And also cooking you alive like a kebab.
In less than a couple of minutes, both scribes were already undressed, though Ruhena opted to do it for herself. Aloe half-expected to ask the guard for assistance as people of her hierarchy didn't tend to dress themselves. Or undress.
"Would you be so helpful to carry me to the cleaning pools?" Aloe voiced again. "Once there I will not need help with the cleaning, only to be carried to the hot pool after I am done. After that, you are free to use the facilities for yourself."
"Are you… sure, venerable scribe?" Finally, Aloe managed to break the guard's façade.
"Very much, yes. Unless Scribe Ruhena is against it?" The scribe of commoners eyed at the one of nobles, but she didn't express any dissatisfaction. "Go for it." Aloe smiled at the guard. "The palace's communal baths are much different from the private ones, and I know how much a guard gets paid, you will deserve to get a higher-class bathing experience once in a while."
"I will take your offering then." The burly woman's expression sweetened, her sternness partially vanishing.
Then she lifted Aloe.
"Ah!" Aloe yelped in pain. Thankfully she was donning toughness, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. "Mind the hip area please, it is fractured." She added with tears in the corners of her eyes.
"I am so sorry, venerable scribe." She had never seen a guard show such an expression of regret. It almost made the pain worth it. "I will be more careful in the future."
"You better be," Ruhena responded to her with a hint of venom.
"Do not mind her, I am fine." Aloe comforted the guard as she rested between her arms. It baffled her how the woman could maintain her in such a position without showing any tiredness. If she had access to strength it would be different, but having such physical prowess through training alone only reminded the petite scribe how far she was from the sultanzade. "Though I will expect a better service in the bath now."
"Thank you for your forgiveness, venerable scribe." The guard obliged.
This was going to be her weapon for the foreseeable future: kindness. A weapon of utmost destruction in the right hands, the feebler the wielder was, the sharpest its edge.
The guard helped Aloe in the bath after the woman herself undressed and once the scribe was rinsed, she was carried to the bath's hot pool. How can be hot air such a devastating scourge on the body yet hot water such a blessing? The scribe almost fell asleep on the waters, the toll of the journey still heavy in her body. But she remembered this bath was as much as pleasure as it was business.
Maids poured in the baths to assist the scribes' experience, but the cultivator paid them no mind.
"Now," Aloe directed to Ruhena, who also rested her naked body in the pool. She was a beautiful woman, yet compared to the sultanzade she had seen, her complexion seemed lacking. Nonetheless, the commoner appreciated the noble's beauty more than that of the imperials. The charm stance has devalued the precious currency of beauty, what a shame. "May you inform me of what has happened during my absence?"
