justashotaway | (no subject)

It's a metaphor in Trade. To 'burn a bridge' is to lose a friendship or an alliance.

[Her frown, dubious, is nearly audible.]

Are we friends?

With time, yes, I would prefer it to the alternative.

[Ah.

She takes her time considering this. And eventually:]

Are you well?

Yes. I've found respectable employ in Riftwatch and am making a budget for my earnings. Yourself?

Respectable employ.

[She finds the phrase...not funny, exactly, but unusual. And accurate--when she repeats it, there's a sort of agreement there. Yes, I, too, have found respectable employ.

And then, a pause.]

What is a budget?

Yes.

[What happened to this girl? Whatever it is, prying is beyond his interest and likely beyond her tolerance.]

A plan on how to spend your money, so you don't run out, or spend it on frivolous purchases. Would you like to know how to make one?

...Yes.

[Only now, talking to him, does it occur to her that she will have money at some point soon, not simply food and shelter.]

Are you good with sums?

[Laura shrugs, then remembers he can't see it.]

I can add.

That's all you need, really.

Take a notebook and make a list of dates for the next few months. Note which dates you'll be paid, and how much.

Make a list of things Riftwatch does not supply-- clothes, specialized weaponry, any special items you wish to buy yourself. Note their prices. Rate those items by how soon you need them.

From there, you should be able to calculate how soon you will be able to purchase extra amenities, and how much you will need to save each time you are paid in order to make your goal.

Does that make sense?

Yes.

[Estimating these things will take time, and she will need a notebook. But she will not need much, since they have agreed to feed her. She will be able to save most of it.

And because he has explained all of this without surprise or mockery, she ventures a question she otherwise might not.]

Where should I put the coins?

A bank or a lockbox. I wouldn't suggest a bank, considering the war. A safe lockbox only opened by your key may be the smart choice for your first purchase.

I would also suggest having a small amount of coin on your person in general, in case of emergency.

[He speaks to her without mockery because he has had this conversation with other elves, far less lucky than him, far more sheltered.]

[That is simple enough, though selecting a box will be...complicated. Too small, and it will be easy to take away and break open. Too large, and it will be noticeable.

And knowing it is there...the idea of owning gold, of having currency, is its own weight. The responsibility, the sheer number of choices available to her, is a little frightening.]

Yes. I know to carry coins.

[Not annoyed, just an acknowledgment. She hasn't learned it from having money, but from not having it. It's hard to predict exactly when it will be necessary.]

Have a small purse, but hang it on the front of your hip, not the back. And check it immediately if someone bumps into you on the street.

I should explain... When I lived in Orlais, I had explained similar things to elves who had never before handled coin. If you need any more help, I'd happily provide it.

[Easier, she thinks, to keep it under her shirt. Anyone who attempts to pick such a pocket will come to her claws long before they reach any coin. But there is no reason to tell him that.

She's quiet for a bit in the darkened room, up where the air is warm and a little stale, wondering just what he did to become the advisor to all those other elves.]

They did not know how to use money. [Not a question, not exactly.] Why?

There is no slavery in Orlais.

But there is indentured, indefinite servitude. Elves fall victim of it most commonly. They are given food and lodging-- occasionally-- in return for their service, and naught else. If they can find a way out of the terms of their servitude, if they can find paying employment, well. They can end up in bad straits, without advice.

[She's quiet again, thinking through that, resolutely leaving aside how her own life fits into the situations he describes. That is something she can think about when no one can hear her.]

What is the difference?

Between what?

Slavery and indentured servitude.

They sound the same.

They often are in function. In legal terms, however, it varies enough to allow one where the other is illegal.

So they are the same. Nobody cares about what's legal.

Some do. There is difference enough for the distinction. Legal guidelines do matter. Indentured servitude is legal in Orlais, but illegal in Kirkwall, which is why I am able to speak with you now.

You were indentured.

Yes. For the last twenty years, almost exactly.

I benefited from being in a position where my education aided my employers. Many of my... fellows... were not so lucky.