24 December 2022
I finally got back to my Adeline story. This is the big project I’ve been working on more or less since I realized I wanted to become an author… and I’d definitely bitten off more than I could chew. Technically, I did finish a draft of one version of the story… but that one’s kind of crap and doesn’t really look anything like the story the way it is now.
Adeline is one of two main protagonists, and has just escaped an abusive home, alongside a foreign slave (Ting) her father and his friend were getting ready to sell. Ting actually has magical abilities she cannot control, tied to death and rot. They’d just met the Dorwitts, a family of traveling merchants, very loosely based on the idea of gypsy caravans. Summer’s Fall is August; Harvest’s Rise is September.
Soul’s Day, 31st of Summer’s Fall, 473
It’s hard to believe it’s already been almost two weeks since I left home, Mama. Or that it’s the end of Summer’s Fall already. I feel free, more than I have in a long time.
I think you’d like the Dorwitts. They’re fun, and they’ve been teaching me a lot of different things. Mostly more sign language, so I can talk with them better, but also things like keep track of your money, or how to juggle. Even though she didn’t want us to stay at first, Vy’s even been teaching me some tricks to get the most whenever I have to sell some of the jewelry you left.
Lianne said I should pick something out to keep for myself, to remember you by. I think I might keep that small necklace you used to wear a lot.
Most of the time Ting just watches. I think she’s scared of herself, still. But it’s not as bad as it was; I think the gloves really helped. And she’s always there practicing when they’re teaching me how to sign; I think she might be better than me, soon.
Rasbin says we’ll reach Luskra around three days from now. That’s kind of sad, in a way. I don’t want to say goodbye to the Dorwitts so soon. But I think Vy was right to be scared. Just letting us travel with them is dangerous.
Around ten to eleven days after Adeline and Ting joined the Dorwitts, three days into Harvest’s Rise, they arrived at the gates of Luskra. It didn’t have large or particularly imposing walls, but the city itself was a sprawling, massive thing. The sheer quantity of people crowding around the gate pressed in on Adeline and made her feel trapped; she could only imagine what Ting must be going through. She reached over and grabbed Ting’s hand, and flashed her a quick smile. Weak as it was, it did seem to help Ting calm down.
After they got through the gate and past the worst of the press, Rasbin pulled their caravan off to the side. He patted Adeline and Ting on the shoulder. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now. Do you remember how to get to that pawn shop I recommended?”
Even though Adeline nodded, she couldn’t quite hide her uncertainty. She’d known Luskra was bigger than Caldwell, but she never imagined any place could be this big. Even if she remembered everything right, she wasn’t sure she could make sense of the city enough to follow Rasbin’s instructions.
Rasbin gave her an appraising look, then clapped Zad on the back. “Why don’t you go with them? Make sure the old coot doesn’t try to pull one over on them? We’ll be at our usual spot in the market.”
Zad stumbled forward and shot his dad a withering look. Then he straightened and nodded his head down the street. “C’mon, I’ll show you the way.”
He lead them down a couple large roads, then turned down a smaller street to a quiet but dignified shop. Adeline and ting followed him inside, where a short Jingese man with a neat, white goatee stood behind the counter. He opened one eye and looked at Zad. “Ah, the young Dorwitt boy. When did your family return?”
“Just came in today.” Zad tipped his head back toward the girls. “Actually, I’m here to help these two. They have some jewelry to sell, and Dad said to make sure you didn’t scam them too hard.”
“Oh-ho.” the old man studied the two for a while, and especially lingered on Ting’s gloves, before he bowed to them. “Cao Wei at your service. What can I do for you today?”
Adeline stepped up to the counter and began to pull out jewelry pieces from her satchel. Once she’d pulled out everything but the necklace, she signed, “How much could I get for all of this?”