Like a vacation, but painful (open)

[Karishima Yumi]

Karishima waved the thanks away. "To be honest, I'm having a terrible vacation. Taking care of someone who needs help... it actually makes me feel better. I feel like my old self again... who I was before the last century made everything so... complicated."

Yumi placed a hand on Iphie's shoulder. "C'mon, the dinning hall is this way. Its communal, but it should be empty right now."

The walk was short one, and the dinning room was nearly empty as she promised. There was plenty of stew left, and for only a few silvers this time, two bowls was reheated and handed over.

Selecting one of the low tables by the balcony, Yumi took a seat with her lunch mate. "Try to focus just on the broth at frist, till your stomach settles. Its the best part anyway.

After a few quite spoon-fulls, Kari spoke up again. "So, may I ask who hurt you?"

[iphigenia]

Iphie tasted the soup, it was rather good and she sipped at it slowly. “I’m not really sure who it was, I was preoccupied by the attack. I was just trying to mellow out on a walk around the kingdom when I met a bunch of soldiers sitting around. The men thought I was a whore and when I declined their offers of money they decided taking what they wanted by force was the best solution. Of course, when I proved more than a match for them the female soldiers decided to join in. Then one of their commanders decided he wanted to have some fun. I met their leader too, nice lady though her shoes aren’t exactly soft.” Iphie sighed and rolled her eyes. “So I ended up with a bad cut and due to a slight push of my limits I ended up with a little bit of something in my lungs and stomach. So the real damage is my fault again.” She sipped a bit more of the soup. “You saw my desperate attempt at evacuating my lungs and how that turned out. “She laughed and then winced. Laughing hurt, she’d have to remember that.

[Karishima Yumi]

Karishima's expression darkened. "I see. Well, I hope you were able to put a few of them down before their leader ran you off. I can't abide rapists. If prostitutes is what they wanted, a whole house of them waits in Venus." She rolled her eyes. 'Men. Always have to do things the hard way."

Karishima took a few spoonfuls of stew before adding casually, 'Just how many of them did you take down before you had to leave?"

[iphigenia]

Iphie decided to finally take a bite of the more solid bits of the soup and was quite pleased to find she could keep it down. She took another bite before answering the question. "Not enough." Just because she planned to open up to more people didn't mean she would go around broadcasting her mutations and abilities. "They can regenerate or something, well one of them can. I hit him in the head and I know his skull split but he just kept coming. He was the one who got me in the arm. Lucky hit completely wasted." She sighed.

[Karishima Yumi]

"I'm sorry if it seems as though I'm prying," said Karishima. "I was only curious. I have a great many business, aside from my primary job of Sapphis Castle Librarian. As much as I like to think Venus is safe city, and for the most part it is, there is till a need for security. Both defensive and -- ah -- proactive kinds. I'd be willing to offer you a job once you recover, but I would like to know the extent of your strength before I did so."

Kari ate some more stew. "This isn't a quid pro quo situation, as I hope you are aware. I dont what you to feel obligated to work for me just because I helped you today. Just... placing the offer on the table. As you've seen, I can pay very well."

[iphigenia]

Iphie mulled this over in her head while she ate. The chance at getting on the librarian's good side was certainly a bonus and if she happened to be checked up on by the order it would be good cover, and at the very least she could try a bit of the job, though it didn't sound like Yumi wanted her in the library. The options seemed bad on all sides but she didn't have much of a choice.

"I'm not really much of a fighter, I'm just good at running away from things. Before I came here I just worked with books, which is how I knew about you."

[Karishima Yumi]

Kari suspected that Iphigenia was downplaying, but let it go. Shame on her for trying to coerce a girl after she was so badly hurt. Still, perhaps a more... innocuous offer would hold her attention until such time as her true abilities could be measured?

"Books, you say" she said, accepting the change of subject. "What sort of work with books? I could always use more hands in the castle library. I find that I rarely have the time to pay as close attention to it as I really should. They pay wont be as good as guarding, but I think you'll find it fair enough. Oh, but I'm being presumptuous. I never even asked where you are from and if you're even looking for work. My apologies. Please forget I said anything and enjoy your stew."

[iphigenia]

Iphie took a few more sips of the stew. "Admittedly I could use a job that pays something. I'm staying at the castle but there are other expenses that drain the pouch." She stared at the bowl. "I guess I wouldn't mind a job so long as it didn't come with all that much danger." She took another bite. "Mostly what I did was check books for authenticity, make sure they were properly stored, keep them organized. Just basic stuff."

[Karishima Yumi]

"Well the books in my library are rather heavy, so there is the danger of one landing on your foot," Karishima teased. "Then there are papercuts. I dont care how tough you are, those things hurt."

Karishima was all smiles and giggles, but her mind was whirling. That there was something... unique about this girl was obvious. Until she figured out if she could an aid to her plans or a hindrance, she would make it a point to keep an close eye on her. And if she was already staying at the castle...

"Well, Iphigenia," she said after a moment. "If you not worried about a job getting in the way of pressing suitor business, I'm prepared to offer you a job at the castle library. Organization and proper storage mostly, particularly in the older archives, and I'm prepared to pay... say 30 silvers a week?"

[iphigenia]

This was all far too convenient in Iphie's opinion. The chances of just falling into a job at the very place she was required to infiltrate. This without even trying. Still, it wasn't proper to look a gift horse in the mouth, or any bringer of luck. After all, this was good luck for her wasn't it? Plus she would be making money which would certainly help pay for more medicine. It was just too convenient though, or maybe she was apprehensive about the mission as a whole. Nothing was clear to Iphie and she hated that.

"That sounds far more than reasonable, are you sure that isn't too much? I wouldn't want to make myself too much of a bother especially after I've already taken advantage of your good will like this."

[Karishima Yumi]

"Oh dont worry about all that," Karishima replied, waving away Iphie's concern. "You're not taking advantage of anything. If I can be frank, I'm offering the job out of purely selfish reasons: The more competent employees I have, the less work I have to do. So if you think about it, I'm taking advantage of you, in a sense." She smiled warmly, then finished off her stew. "I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Sapphis Castle library is my frist love, but like most first loves, I have grown beyond it. Other things commnad my attntion ad stoke my passions now. Though I do hold out hope... when all is said and done I can return to that first love and live happily ever after in its embrace." The smile faded, and Karishimia shoulders slumped. And off looked crossed her face, and for a moment she looked a century old.

It soon passed as she sat up and brightened gain. "But there's a long road between now and then. I just what to make sure the library is cared for in the meantime..." And that I can keep an eye on you she added silently. "Can you help me with that, Iphigenia?"

[iphigenia]

"Well I'm pretty sure I can help you out with that, especially with such good pay." Iphie smiled and took a few more bites of the stew. "When do you want me to start? My examiner, as indelicate as she was, says I shouldn't exert myself too much so it might be a little while before I'm of any use to you in that regard." She frowned and looked down at the stew.

Iphie wasn't pleased with the situation. At least she wouldn't be completely empty handed if someone decided to check with her, and despite how much she was beginning to let go, she'd found that there were perks to not being dead.