The Devil Inside
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Posts regarding Lia Sands
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Lia sat on her bed pouring through the thick ledger she had borrowed from “Clerk”. Clerk was the Regal Maid’s accountant, a wizened old gnome who had probably been there before Lia’s grandparents were born. Lia didn’t speak Gnomish and his name was largely unpronounceable by any sane person, so most of the staff and ladies just called him Clerk. Because this ledger was confidential, it had required a rather large bribe to even borrow it for the evening. But Clerk was a greedy fellow, and rules and confidentiality were often broken by the almighty gold piece.
Lia flipped through the pages at a prodigious rate, making coded notes in a separate book. She was about halfway through when there was a quiet knock on her door. That would be Agatha.
Agatha was dumb as a box of rocks Lia mused to herself, but she possessed an unusual gift that had served her well. She was acutely observant of people, and able to mimic their mannerisms and even voice to a degree. It was no end of amusement when the ladies got together, and the last time Lia had nearly peed her britches from laughing. It was a complete waste of talent for a prostitute, or so one would have thought, but she earned top coin for pretending to be famous people. Agatha was tall and blonde. She did an amazing princess impression, more amazing now that Lia had actually hung out with the royal couple and saw first hand.
”Come in”, Lia said quietly, still writing.
Agatha padded in on bare feet, closed and locked the door. She had been instrumental in getting the ledger from Clerk, with the condition that Lia do her a favor. A simple one really. Agatha had eyes on leaving this business and attending the Bard College, but a room and classes for a couple of years weren’t going to come cheap. Agatha wanted to know how much longer she had to work, and when to tell the college she’d be attending. Pretty basic math, but for Agatha it might as well been 8th circle magic.
Agatha quickly moved over and sat next to Lia. Lia could see she was both excited and nervous at the same time. She leaned over, scrunching her face, leering at Lia and said in Clerk’s voice, “I see you got my ledger! Make sure you return it with nary a stain child!”.
Lia looked over, her eyes wide. Her voice wasn’t entirely the same, but the look on her face and inflection was uncanny. Lia burst into giggles. “When did you learn to do Clerk?!”, she asked between fits of laughter.
Agatha sat up and grinned, “Oh, I’ve been practicing for weeks. When I return it tomorrow morning, I’m going to do him in front of him”. Lia just stared and covered her mouth. “Agatha, he’s going love it”. If nothing else, Clerk had a good sense of humor.
”So…”, Lia pulled out a piece of paper. She had written everything down in large, easy to read numbers. “This…”, Lia pointed, “is what you made last year. As near as I can tell, you’re doing about the same, or even a little better this year. I can’t count tips you might have squirreled away, but this is what the Maid takes for their cut”, Lia pointed.
Agatha just looked on, muttering an occasional “ok”, now and then. Lia pulled out the bank note that Agatha had given her yesterday and continued, “This is how much you saved up, and this here”, she pointed, “is how much you need. I figure 8 months and change if you don’t buy too many fancy clothes. So I’d tell the college, spring of next year.”
Agatha looked at Lia, her shoulders drooping a bit. “Lia, I was hoping to go in the fall.” Lia just shook her head, “The numbers don’t lie. Unless you find a noble who fancies or wants to sponsor you, it’s 8 months.”
They looked at each other for a moment, then Agatha reached over and hugged her. “Thanks for doing this for me”, she said earnestly.
Lia hugged her back, a little confused. Doing the numbers was like 5 minutes of work. It took longer to write it down for her than to actually do the math. Agatha sat up, a positive look on her face and nodded. “The spring then!”, she smiled. “I am going to be an actress!”
Agatha then stood up, turned to Lia, and her demeanor changed. It was almost as if she became taller. She ran her hand through her hair just like the princess and said, “Then you will all bow down before me, as is my due. Isolde, fetch my cloak! I’m headed to Bards Town!”. Then she turned and left, maintaining the princesses imperious and confident stride.
Lia shook her head and smiled. Agatha was indeed going to make a very good actress if she could remember her lines. But soon the smile faded as Lia realized something. All it would take is a few thousand gold to make sure she could go in the fall. It wouldn’t even make a dent in her own finances. A few dead goblins, and a hoarded magical sword would be the difference.
Lia deflated before turning back to the ledger. There was that pesky uncomfortable feeling again.
Guilt.
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Lia woke to the sunlight filtering through the eastern window. As the sunlight caressed her face, she made a hazy mental note to get another room without a window facing east. As her mind cleared, she became aware of soft breathing whispered annoyingly into her ear, and a hand draped over her breasts.
One of Lia’s regular clients, Jamie had paid to stay the evening. She didn’t know what his situation was or even if she cared. He came to the Regal Maid almost every week she suspected, when daddy’s money allowed. Usually it was just for an hour or two. Last night he had wanted this long roleplaying scenario, which had extended past midnight.
As Lia stirred, the hand began to wander lower, and Jamie cuddled in tighter. “Come on”, he whispered sleepily pulling her in tight, “Play succubus one more time”. Lia grabbed his hand and pulled it off of her, and Jamie gave a satisfying noise of disappointment.
Lia turned over and gently shoved him away. “Time’s up shithead. Besides, you don’t have any more coin. You used it all for last night”.
“Aww, come on Lia! You know I’m good for it!”,he protested, grabbing her arm.
Jamie never saw where the knife came from, but it was suddenly under his throat. A look of brief astonishment flashed across his face before it melded into smile. He pulled his hand away, putting up both carefully and defensively. “You really know how to turn me on, don’t you?”, he grinned.
Lia just looked at him as his smile faded. Jamie knew she would cut his throat, and despite how much that turned him on, moved away and off the bed. Lia watched him carefully as he dressed quietly. He smiled and waved as he left the room, and Lia’s head collapsed back onto the pillow with a sigh.
Unlike most of the workers in the Regal Maid, Lia was exceptionally bright. She had passed the entrance exam into the Arcane Academy in Yenching on a whim, and stayed just long enough to see what nobody would miss if it went … missing.
Most of the time, she was bored. Conversations with others were a chore. Most people were just marks to be used or taken advantage of. She had people who thought they were her friend, but in truth just a means to an end…
…until now.
Ruhin, or “Ruin” as she called him, was a large well trained warrior she had met in Peltarch. At first, he was just another mark, someone whose pocket she picked, and someone who could help her gather the things she wanted. Together they plundered deep dungeons, ancient temples, and hidden caches of treasure. They laughed frequently, joked at each other’s expense, and saved each other from death countless times. They reveled in the victory of legendary creatures, and lavished in the wealth of what they hoarded.
There were others too. Alby was quiet, from privilege she expected. Hope had turned to Lathander after her husband passed away, and had gathered the favor of the sun god. Chams was a bit puzzling, and she suspected that her smiles and good nature were all pretenses for something dark and sinister, but who gave a shit? They all helped each other, and that’s what mattered.
Lia never had friends like these. Even the Scarlet Dragons, which had trained her extensively, had been used for exactly that purpose. She had parted when the parting was good, and went west to escape.
She lay there on the bed wondering, her sharp mind going over the feelings. There was one which twisted in her gut. A feeling with which she was entirely unfamiliar.
Guilt.
