The smell of dear Lina's eggs over the fire reached the senses of the girl. She smiled and blinked the tiredness from her blue eyes. Opening them to the blur of sunlight shining through the cracks in her roof. It was just dawn, another work day in her endless, tedious life. However waking up always seemed to be the most eventful part of her day. She sat up and yawned, stretching her long arms up and behind her head of dirty dark blonde hair. Eloea, just another girl in another lame village. They were wealthier than other places due to their popular lumber and fish trade, but otherwise were quite a poor village. Swinging her legs from the warmth of her blankets, she rubbed the back of her neck as she stood and walked over to the box which she stored her few clothes. Throwing a light shirt over her head, which was unfortunately looked down upon, she ran her hands down her thighs and moved them off over to the pair of undergarments in the box. Taking them, she lifted her legs and pulled them up to her waist. Stretching it for a moment, and letting it slap against her hip, she smiled and reached down for a pair of work trousers. She dressed much like men, which was beginning to get much more difficult, as men themselves were finding it easy and she was finding it hard due to her breasts. Eloea raised her hands and felt them, the tits that were growing by the week. Bare feet moved to the ladder that exited her loft and reached down to the ground floor of her small home. Han, her father, turned his head as he removed the eggs from the fire and to the table on small dishes. "Mornin', sunshine." Han smiled, setting them down on his own table that he built with his own hands. He'd been quite proud of the table and she knew it.
"Mornin', Da." Eloea replied, digging quickly into her eggs with the knife and fork that had been set out for her. "These Lina's? Or the markets?" She asked through the mouthful of eggs.
"Lina's, thank the gods. The market produce has been getting worse for a while now. Eggs are poor quality and fruit is going bad." Her hen, Lina, produced a couple eggs every once in a while, which was enough for breakfast every few days. Aside from Lina, her father cooked the best eggs for them. He always went easy on the pepper and crushed onion chives, but Eloea knew he secretly put more salt on his own food. She didn't mind, because she didn't always care much for what she ate, as long as she ate. On the common work day, they ate two eggs each and both got a muffin from the bakery on their way to work. Eloea was fifteen, and her father was fourty-six. They both worked every day except Sunday and Monday, her father was a butcher and she was the village Messenger. Oddly, she was paid more. Eloea thought that perhaps it was because the sudden appearance of the Duke's men in Stoneridge, she had to deliver their things among others, that she had more runs to make each day. People received their packages and messages in a respectful order, even if the soldiers told her to prioritize theirs. She made sure everybody got their things in the order they were sent, to be sure she was fair. Some days she had two deliveries to make, some she had twelve. Some days she had a delivery for a harbormaster just on the side of the village, some days she had to make the long trip to Durani, the town and main port of the Duke's island. It was just ten kilometers north from Stoneridge, her peaceful, boring little village. It had a small lake on the north side, and forest all around the other edges. A long bridge ran across the lake which people traversed to get wood from Stoneridge. All of the traffic was held on the north side of town, they lived on the south side of town, where everything was calm and a few houses stretched off a little bit into the woods. They had few neighbors and it was always quiet. Eloea liked it, and she was sure her father appreciated it aside from his walk to work. They didn't have a horse, because they are awfully expensive to take care of. However, Eloea never needed a horse, however convenient it can be for some deliveries. She always made her's on foot. There was one other messenger she competed with on the job, it was Davien. A much wealthier boy who lived in Durani. The two of them were rather well off, they actually had a wooden structure and a small bit of claimed land, compared to most with tents and living off of public utilities. But this boy had a stone home in the city. He made deliveries into Stoneridge sometimes, and stole some of those that needed to go back away from Eloea. It wasn't bad though, she made five copper a send and another five if she delivered it quickly. As a courier, she had to wake up early in order to get people's messages before they leave for their own jobs. So she did, and she and her father left at the same time for work, splitting off in different directions for the day. Meeting again to buy an apple in the middle of the day, talking about their mornings, and splitting off again until dinner. Sometimes they didn't see each other until breakfast the next day if Eloea had a long delivery to town. For dinner they almost always had soup and another muffin. But as said before, waking up to meet her father every day was the most eventful of it. She pushed the chair out behind her and stood, leaving the dishes on the table to clean up later. She moved towards the door, slipping on shoes and lacing them up. Eloea reached up to the coat racl amd grabbed her flat cap, pulling her courier bag up from the stand and over her left shoulder, placing the cap gently over her long, curly hair.
"I'll be outside when you're ready, Da."
"I'll be out in just a minute, Choc." The corners of Eloea's mouth curled after she shut the door behind her. That was his pet name for her, 'Chocolate', the sweet treat that seems to be trending. She had it once, her father had gotten her a bar for her tenth birthday. He spent a whole weeks worth of pay on it, he mentioned. David only had one person in his life, his daughter, Eloea. It seemed he would do anything for her. She knew it too, and appreciated but always said he didn't have to. They were a cute little family. It wouldn't be the same with her mother. If Eloea ever had a womanly figure in her life, she would be much different and they would be much poorer. It always gets her thinking who her mother was, and whemever she asked her Father he managed to change the topic. Quickly, she learned not to care. Eloea looked about peacefully, as mist had settled on the village in the morning. The ground was damp and the gravel crunched under her feet. Fog hung in the air and dew dripped off of the plants. People even milled about down the street, on their own paths to their own lives. But Eloea tingled a bit for a moment. Suddenly nobody was around and she noticed the birds were silent. About to call for her father to hurry, she was silenced by the scream in the distance. A faint roar of a man, a roar of terror. The moment it quieted, crickets perked up and a couple people passed her on the road. Her father exited the house and locked the door. The birss began their daily song. "Let's be off then, Choc."
"Da, didn't you hear it?" She was slightly frightened, because nothing ever happened like a scream or ambient silence like that in Stoneridge.
"Hear what, Elli? Are you okay?" He leaned down and wiped the sweat from her temple, which was strange in that weather.
"The...Oh...Yes, Da, I'm alright. Sorry." She decided to forget about it, and Eloea smiled as they began walking. The sound of the crunching gravel and voices around them of people getting ready for the day calmed her quickly. "What kinds of muffins do you think he'll bake today? Do you think he'll have white cake? That's always my favourite. Your's is dark cocoa isn't it, Da?"
"Yes Elli. Cocoa is the best, and you're out of your mind if you think white cake tops it." David chuckled and looked down at her, about a foot taller, and even Eloea was tall for a girl. She glanced up at him and replied,
"Right. I don't like the bitterness of it, though." Actually she thought it was good, it always made her feel energized before she went off. Maybe that's why her father preferred it? Eloea liked the white cake muffins for it's soft and squishy texture, and the baker always put a sugar coating over the top of it. She was always surprised when the sugar coat didn't cost anything extra. The Baker was a nice man, he had a son and lived with his mother on the south side of town as well, and was always the first to wake up in the whole village. People around his shop woke up to the smell of fresh goods, and he had the best business in Stoneridge. The shop, which everyone just called 'The Baker's', was one of the most popular places in Durani and the village both, because they say the bakers in Durani just produce bread, and the Baker in Stoneridge makes treats all the time. It was a half kilometer across town to the industrial district, so the two of them had a lot to talk about and debate on the way there before they split for work. Alas the moment comes when they arrive at the Baker's.
"'Ello, Kaden? You in there? I smell ya, big guy." A thump came from inside as a cleaver was pressed into a counter, as it had been countless times and Kaden, a hulking man, came out to greet the loyal customers.
"Heeyyy, Davey and Elli." His voice boomed as a grin stretched across his face. "How's work been treating you both?" His knotted and scarred hands rested on the counter as he waited for a reply.
"Rough, you could say. Foreman's been giving us these jacked up doubletimes, but he's been makin' me whack the sleepers lately, so it's been fun at least." David spoke about his job at the timber. The Foreman ensured everybody was working, and had been making David use the bat to smack sleeping jacks because he knew David enjoyed it and never let the workers forget about sleeping on the job. Of course he never had, and never will, after the first time he'd done it and the Foreman damn near broke his jaw.
"Little Davien's been stealing my change a lot lately. It's been hittin' my nerves good. Say, if you see the minger around, Kaden, mind givin' em the rough off?" Eloea asked for Kaden to keep the boy from lingering too long in Stoneridge and from stealing her Durani runs.
"Sure thing, sweetness. I'll keep an eye out for the kid. Give 'im what he's got. Say, I've got a gift for you both." Kaden smiled a big smile as he reached under the counter and brought up two big muffins. One with cocoa bean cake and one with white cake. Both with dark flakes and shavings littered around inside and on top. Eloea brighten up and gave a little hop. As they reached in their pocketbooks, ready to pay extra, Kaden shoved them forward and shook his head. "On the house, kiddo's."
"Thanks so much Kaden! Is this really chocolate?" Eloea beamed as she prepared to dig in to the delicious muffin.
"Thanks Kaden, it means a lot. Must've been expensive, eh?" David frowned a bit, worried that Kaden wasn't letting them pay.
"Nah. A gift from a friend in Durani. I already had some, to be honest. So I figured I'd share the love with my favourite lake and lass." Kaden was as bright as a grizzly man could get, and he turned away to get back to his baking. He was whistling as he kept the bakery warm with pastries that morning.
"That was awful nice of him, wasn't it, Da?" Eloea had finished her Muffin within the half hour. It was so sweet and sugary she couldn't keep it up to savor.
"Aye it was, Choc. He's such a great man all the time. How he does it a clue I ain't got." David chuckled as he stopped to turn on his street. "I'll see you later for lunch, Elli. G'bye!" Eloea waved to her father as she turned onto her own street, the Courier office just another block over. Eloea hummed a song over again and again, to the rhythm of her steps, and stopped.
"I'm here." She spoke up upon reaching out to lift the tent opening and move inside. The streets quieted and the light dulled as the opening closed. A man looked up over his glasses and frowned, keeping his pen moving on the paper in front of him. He was Orwell Hensen, the headmaster of the Couriers.
"Oh. Hello, Mister Hensen. I didn't know you were stationed here today." Eloea spoke with a clearly fake, but polite tone. She disliked him, because of the attitude he gave her for being female. His grim, wrinkled face stared her down, and she shuffled her feet nervously. He gave a slight huff and looked back to his paper, shaking his head with disapproval. Eloea grimaced and moved towards the outbox, taking the letters she had gathered the last day she worked, stuffing the letters with a route card into her bag. Aside from the letters was a package, a small box about the size of her hand. She placed it in the front pocket of the bag, and latched the cover over the opening again. It was a strange system, she would deliver everything The girl glared at Orwell Hensen, and quickly exited the tent into the morning air. The sun had been warming up the village, and the fog had been clearing by the minute. She could see down the street now, and reached into her bag for a letter. It was anonymous. Anonymous letters were scarce, and often had bad business that she didn't care to deliver. A sigh escaped her lips as she trotted down the path, placing the anonymous letter back in the bag in exchange for a more friendly delivery. This letter was to Durani, a long walk that she kept for the end of her deliveries, before circling back to Stoneridge to collect the next day's deliveries. Each letter was marked with a series of dots that Eloea always did to organize the letters she collects at the end of the day. This is in order to keep them organized the day she delivers them. The girl quickly stopped by the Mason, which was a much smaller business and often didn't produce much. The quarry was not very large, so Ghondo could only produce enough for a few local jobs every once and a while. It seemed to be enough for the little village. Eloea slipped the first letter into a slot in a metalworked door that led into the Masonry shop, and moved on away from the stone path back onto the gravel road. She had a direct path down the road towards a solitary home, a couple hundred meters off of town. Strange, she thought. That house had very rarely gotten letters. Anything sent to that address was redirected to the Baker, who owned the place. "I'll just bring it to Kaden." She spun on her heel, prepared to deliver it to the burly man. Furrowing her brow, Eloea reconsidered. Perhaps it was important? Or Personal, maybe? She turned again, and nearly jumped out of her skin as a deer looked at her and dashed off towards the woods. A shock rolled down her spine as she opened her eyes and tried to breathe, cracking a small smile. One light step after the other, she continued down the path, the light darkening as she traveled towards the Baker's home. Suddenly Eloea realized she hadn't ever gone this way. The short journey of two hundred meters felt like double the journey of Durani. It was dark and eerie, and her eyes felt heavy. Struggling to keep her lids open, she stumbled, and tripped over her own feet. Putting her arms out in front of her to catch the ground, she twisted and landed on her side.
Vision blurry, she blinked it out. It had only been a minute of unconsciousness, but the little house was just in front of her. Smoke rose from the hole in the top. Standing, dusting herself off, and starting off again at a light jog, Eloea felt true fear. It was terrible, she felt as if she was being raced, chased towards the structure. The scream from earlier echoed in her head which throbbed after she had hit the ground just before. She placed her hands on the wall and leaned up against it, her depth perception breathing and her temples pulsating. The paper was slipped under the door faultily, and her vision stretched out what seemed like miles as she sank against the wall to her seat. Looking up into the sky, the clouds seemed to wrap around her head as she sweated of sudden vertigo. Everything went silent. The nature around her ceased all motion and she blinked. Eloea was covered in sweat, and her breathing was choppy. But everything else was normal. Standing, she ran like the wind flew, like the clouds raced. The journey back seemed like ten meters compared to a couple hundred. Her feet echoed in her ears, and the second she reached the safety of Stoneridge again, the birds' song began a peaceful chorus. Dazed and lost, feeling dead inside almost, Eloea did one thing she could think to do. She reached into her bag for the parcel. It was the only delivery on her mind. Letters just didn't feel appealing at the time. She took a deep breath and walked towards the destination. A couple turns in the streets and a few odd looks from travelling passersby, she finally gained focus on life again. She regained feeling in her hands and legs, and looked around. Red coats stood out among the crowd as the Duke's men swarmed around their tent. Two stood like mannequins, holding long halberds at their sides. Eloea stepped up to the entrance, and the guards didn't seemed phased until the clash of the halberds knocked her back. "You nearly chopped me head off, bloody -" She stopped herself... cussing out did no good, and the Red's have had civilians arrested for bumping into them. However, these guards were completely still. "I-I have a parcel... for this tent." She muttered, and the guards lifted the axes, allowing the girl to pass. She looked up at the tall men as she passed under the tent opening. Inside, it was even worse. A jumble of old men nearly missing their mouths with their mugs, bored out of their minds of this awful post. A single man sat at a desk, and looked up over his glasses at her down the middle aisle. He strictly reminded her of Orwell Hensen, which was demeaning. She placed one foot in front of the other on the way to the back of the tent, preparing to hand the parcel to the old man. Suddenly, a deep voice had startled her.
"Hurry on then, lass. Step up." He boomed, which made her jump. She tripped on her ankle again, and the parcel rolled out of her hands onto the floor. Some of the men at either side looked up from their empty mugs and grinned at her clumsiness. Eloea crawled- yes, she crawled on her hands and knees, -to pick up the package. At that point the men laughed. They threw their cups up, and Eloea went red as she stood and shoved the package forward on the table. The old man at the desk, likely the General of the Stoneridge post, just nodded and dismissed her. He dismissed her as if erasing her from his memories, because he paid no worry when four soldiers closed in on Eloea and tightly gripped her arms.
It was her turn to scream at the end of the day, just as someone had to begin her day. Who would hear of this? Who would care? No soul wanted to get caught up in the Duke's soldiers' business. No matter what others were polluted or destroyed in the process.
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