"I don't think so, Bristel," Acacia said. It seemed like the alias that she'd given might be hard for Acacia to remember, especially if they were going to keep meeting publicly and privately. Acacia would have to keep her mouth under control if she wanted to maintain Gelland's secrecy. "If you really knocked out the first people you saw on your way in, I don't think there's any reason for them not to believe something similar happened to us servants. So, if I were him, I would just assume you threatened us and we all fled."

"But you were employed by him. Don't you think he'll come searching for you again to get back to what you all were doing? Or make sure you're sworn to secrecy, or worse?" Gelland said.

That was a possibility. Laying awake all night thinking about these repercussions didn't help her jitters. Neither did the coffee they were drinking. She took a long sip. Coffee was still a bitter taste to her, though she drank it out of politeness in Gelland's company. This was not someone she wanted to offend. She looked around the sidewalk at the others gathered here. Old men and women gathered at shops like these all around Medina Gilt most days. Tables and chairs were set out from opening until closing, the patrons normally staying in those same seats for just as long. Coffee's taste may be awful, but I don't have to drink it. The nice smell could overpower the stench of this city, at least. Either way, I need a new job that doesn't include helping somebody hoard slaves.

Her response came after the loud clomping of lirams drawing a carriage near them. She'd always wanted to own one for riding. She didn't see how people in Hazten considered that their horses were a superior alternative to these tall, four-horned beasts. Their horns curved up high and back, intimidating the people walking ahead of the carriage to move. "He should have a way of finding me," she finally said. "But one problem is that he might not want us back, after the embarrassment you served him," she smiled. Acacia loved hearing about what Gelland had done to him after she left with the girls. The brand would suit him. "He really did have it coming. If he still does want us back, I can just say that I'm too scared of that 'Mysterious Being' that assaulted us."

She tried to sound more confident than she actually was. People who held power could not be trusted to act rationally for the peoples' sake, only for their own goals. Still, I have to seem like I know what I'm doing around her. I can't let her think I'm as helpless as I actually am.

"That's probably true. If anything, I think he'd want to save face by bribing you all not to talk about it. But you never know what he'll do. Just have to trust in The Master, I guess," Gelland waved the shop owner to them. The dark, wrinkly skinned man waddled over in his stained apron. He had red highlights in his hair, a feature sometimes found on people whose heritage lived near the Star River, which ran through Medina Gilt.

"Sir, I've never had coffee quite like this. The food was delicious too! What's your name? I want to come by more often," Gelland asked, handing him money for both of their meals.

So polite. And I didn't even ask her to pay, Acacia thought.

Smiling, the owner set the siel into his belt pouch. "Young lady, you can call me Ferti. This is the finest coffee shop in the whole city!" Acacia doubted that. It wasn't terrible, though it wasn't anything spectacular, either. The people around them started asking for refills, and Ferti shooed them with a tsk tsk noise. "What else can I get you? Cake? Which sweets are your favorite?"

"Nothing, really. We-"

"I'm actually wondering if I could work here. Sorry, Bristel for interrupting. I need a new job, and this is the finest coffee shop, after all," Acacia cut in.

Surprised, Ferti looked to her, "No, no you don't want to work here." He leaned in and whispered, "The place is dangerous at night. Not here..." he said with waving hands, "of course. But around this place."

"Then schedule me for the mornings. I also live close by, so it's not that bad for me. I'll come back tomorrow and we can talk more then?" They both got up and straightened their chairs. Gelland winced, holding her side. She mentioned that she had hurt herself the night before.

Ferti sighed and nodded. They both walked towards Gelland's apartment. "I've never seen a shopkeeper here get so turned around when somebody tells them what they actually want," Gelland said with a laugh. "Now I need to know, why do you need to learn Tethering?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully, as she'd never put it into words before, "I lived in the shadow of the University of Knowles while growing up. As a young girl, I always wanted to learn and study there. But my orphanage discouraged even slight interactions with those who practiced the Augments. It had to be because they thought we wouldn't be safe with them. When I was adopted by the Tahuds in Leevio, they didn't want me to use my solid Densing… likely to protect me. You probably could guess that those with my deformation aren't well accepted." She looked at Gelland, "That's not to say it's anything worse than you've probably seen. I don't mean to-"

"I know what you mean, you don't need to be nervous about being honest with me. Life is tough, and people like to make it tougher for everyone else. So I guess that means that you don't know how to use much of your Densing? That might be a problem."

"I don't mean to be a burden to you. I do have information on what Makkus was doing."

"I was counting on it. I actually didn't question him too much, but I got the impression that more people were involved with what was going on. I didn't interrogate him because I wanted him to think that me barging in might be an isolated incident, so that he wouldn't have much reason to believe I'd come after others in his position. And I thought you'd be able to fill in some blanks for me."

Acacia was shocked. "You'd do that? You'd try to free everyone? I mean, I tried. I got the job with them- of course, I didn't know what was going on, I just needed the money since I moved here four months ago. I wasn't involved with the girls for a long while. I didn't even know what was happening on the lower level. I just knew all the workers were uncomfortable. When I did find out I was ready to just kill him. But, you could see how that wasn't possible. I couldn't even hold that knife against you, and I can only imagine what it would've been like against his guards. I'm lucky you didn't think I was a threat, though. I talked with the other servants to see how we could stop him, however it took such a long time to get them to even consider it." Remembering their reluctance to go along with her plan brought back her frustration at them.

"Really? What would you all have done?"

"We would've killed him in his sleep, and we all were gonna take his money, with the girls, and flee. I still think we should've killed him, Ge-Bristel." They were walking through the loud markets on the south side of the city. Being heard wasn't a worry here, but she still blushed.

"And then you wouldn't be here with me, Acacia," Gelland said, looking around the market stalls. "No matter how grim a situation may be, there's always another option," she grimaced. "But I could see myself doing that too, in your position."

Didn't she kill someone? I know that might just be an accusation, but is she really so opposed to killing these awful kinds of people? she thought to herself.

"He is part of the highest governing body here, working as Master of Labor. He gets to decide the laws of how people work and when," Acacia continued.

Gelland whistled quietly. "We've gotten in deep so quickly. He told me that his friend introduced him into this. That may be some close friend, someone who works for him, or possibly one of the other 'Masters'." she emphasized the last word with a snarl. They walked to the main gate of the city, and Gelland turned to face her.

"Your training starts in one week, next Teletday. Give me your address and I'll leave you a note a couple days before on where to meet me. Pay attention to how people react about that man's branding. If he's so high up, then it's sure to unsettle others. I think you'll be safe, as long as you go about your own business. I'm an Augmentor, so it's good that you're so motivated to do it. I don't want you unable to defend yourself if the need arises. It could be necessary against someone involved in this thing we've stumbled into, a street gang, or dangerous situations you find yourself in." She paused, looking at her. "I'll teach you everything that I know."

Acacia's eyes grew wide. For people like Gelland, having a student was expected. As the name suggested, Augmentors were supposed to pass on their skills. However, most kept knowledge to themselves for exclusive use for their families. Techniques and strategies they used. As such, the obligation was to one's household- passing it on to their children. Basic knowledge was shared, like what Acacia was asking for. But not everything, especially not for a stranger.

"I'll be getting some information on who Makkus works alongside. I also need to find out if I can land a job. I'm going to rest now. See you soon!" She walked out of the gate. Acacia raised her hand, but she was left stunned.

This is it! she thought, hands trembling, I'll finally learn, and now's my shot to put them out of their misery!