15. Episode The Peacock and the Crow
She watched him depart and tasted the bitter aftermath of his subsequent departure upon her tongue. Yurei’s teeth clenched as his cloak billowed behind him that seemed to resemble a startling abjuration of her and himself. He was like beautiful tea leaf that could be consumed, but once he lost his flavor, he could be discarded to sample something new. That was what the Pani believed at least; putting to use everything and anything and making it beautiful before its usefulness was spent. Despite the perpetual conflict of combining two cultures that she had grown up in, she still felt like a newborn child to each and every revelation that either side reflected. The almond-eyed Pani dictated that they were superior while the pale mainland Goreans dictated that their way was the way of the world. Her time spent in slavery had taught her one thing; everything was relative. While thrived in bondage to Eve, she had traveled as far south to the sand dunes of the Tahari all the way to the open landscape of the Wagon People. She had encountered many people and their ways; this was how she had accepted that all things are relative in Gor. Each culture that she had encountered possessed its own culture and set of beliefs. Nothing was centralized, nothing was certain with the exception of the position of women and the institution of slavery that men had enforced upon the world.
She began to pace about the room as the chill birthed by Crow’s exit began to subside. She hadn’t paced about any sort of area in years with the exception of Salernum when she assumed her owner was going to sell her. Those were happy and intense days which she held close to her heart… but Salernum had been deposed by the Priest-King gods and so were any and all contact who knew her, with the exception of the members of the black caste and particularly, Crow.
A headache began to form and she darted into a hall of the infirmary, uncertain where it would lead, but she didn’t care. The physician’s establishment seemed to perpetually breathe humidity and she understood why as the man had a plethora of candles wherever she turned. The candlelight seemed to guide her though as she incidentally entered the physician’s and Alesia’s bedchamber. It was a small room, but it was cozy and noticed a vanity which only high or bred slaves receives after tremendous effort of pleasing their owners. Beside it was a small altar to the Priest-Kings which amused her considering how far they were within the north and she simply shook her head at this, finding humor in the contradictory actions of most people she encountered. The altar was ornate and intimate and Yurei had gauged that this man was a devout follower who worshipped in secret so as not to lose his position. Yurei, of most people understood this as she had been coerced to hide her own beliefs the majority of her life.
She collapsed before the altar on her knees which was something she had not done since her childhood. Her gaze briefly glimpsed over towards the mirror to regard her reflection and her shoulders slumped forward as she studied her features; scars, scars, and more scars. Yet, her eyes and countenance revealed age which perplexed her. She didn’t seem to resemble the toothless hags of Arian towers who declared men once fought for them when in reality aging shots had failed them, but rather… wisdom which had arrived with years of experience. Her eyes appeared tired, but the irises exhibited a keenness which most women seemed to lack, with the exception of elders. She stared intently upon her features; the serums had paralyzed most of her aging with the exception of the lines under her eyes which were present due to experience. The others, such as the crow’s feet were due to the moments of happiness within and without the collar during her life. There were only so many things that the serums could suppress.
She pressed her lips against her palms while her body tensed as she attempted to pray but she felt nothing… nothing but the fleeting strength allowing her to perform her gesture. Her lashes fluttered gently over her eyes as she attempted to concentrate and muster a prayer but she remained restless. The humidity of the physician’s infirmary began to become stifling to where she could barely breathe and she quickly exited his personal quarters. She rushed outside to allow herself the consolation of the cool, cold winter that allowed her some respite. As she regained her senses she realized a single thing; change was inevitable. But change was based upon personal experience was it not? She rushed back inside to the location of where she and Crow seemed to depart upon mutual agreement. But, she wasn’t satisfied and she was certain she could discover the root of her restlessness… despite how foolish it might be.
“If he wants to brood, then he will learn to laugh. That damn man takes himself too seriously. Assassins…”
She hissed under her breath as she reached for the bag of money that he had left her as she pried it open and peered inside and gasped. There was enough gold to secure her for the rest of her life and many times over. Yurei furrowed her brows as she had to come to a decision. Her gaze shifted over towards the door as she began to rummage about the room for clothing. She would have to layer herself if she was going out in the cold. Her feet slipped effortlessly into Alesia’s boots which she had left by the door and grabbed her cloak. Her clothes were a haphazard mixture of winter slave livery and the infirmary gown that Alesia had gently attired her in. She smoothed a single hand through her tangled locks as the slave girl did her best to remove the matted dreadlocks. She picked up Crow’s bag and hastily departed the infirmary as she slammed the door behind her. Hopefully, she could catch up to Crow before he left. Her thin, shapely legs broke into a sprint as she ran through the village, mimicking the speed of a tabuk.
Her heart pounded in her chest as the heaviest thing she seemed to be carrying was the money pouch. Her time spent in recovery had revived her and as she continued her run, the snow seemed to part as she reached a thicket of trees. She witnessed the billowing cloak of the assassin from several horts away. Her grip tightened on the bag as she bellowed out to him as she continued to close the distance, “You forgot something, Killer!” She raised the bag to eye level to show him what she possessed as her intention was to toss it back to him. “You and I have unfinished business, Crow.”
Crows Murder 
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