Cynthia's Song
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Cynthia's Song
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[Cynthia Rawson – 06:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1215
»Emmet [Cynthia]: Of course, let me know. Thanks again.«
Cynthia invited Rob and his daughter to follow her to the table, asking the staff for two more servings. She had a half smile when the girl curtsied, and nodded to her. She then turned to the father. “I’m happy to hear you say that. I must say though, again, that while it should be really straightforward, it’s not a done thing: if the problem comes from the ears themselves, it’ll be easy to fix, but if it’s a connection in the brain or something, it could be harder to fix.”
Ahe grimaced slightly. “What I want to say is that hope, but don’t be overconfident. As for repayment,” Cynthia shook her head. “Just be a good father and employee, it’s all I ask.” After all, while it wasn’t quite pocket change for her, it was far from being expensive. And nothing compared to the bioware she was getting herself.
She did seem a bit uncomfortable though. Maybe as a way to switch topics, she asked. “There are two ways we can go with this: cyberware or bioware.” As she ate she proceeded to explain the differences (without talking about the cost), trying to not over sell bioware but… She truly believed it was the superior option of the two, she really wasn’t into chromed stuff after all. From time to time, she used her ‘link to explain to Anna – and her father, but while she respected the fact that the final decision was his, it was Anna that was the first concerned – how it worked and how it was done. If she became worried, she explained that she was getting some stuff herself, and that it was a pretty safe thing to do nowadays.
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06:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Rob Lee nods and accompanies his mistress to the dining room, where he greets the woman setting the table by name. He and his daughter seem a bit embarrassed to be sitting at the same table with Cynthia. The conversation distracts him a bit, though and he looks at his daughter before turning back to Cynthia. “I think that we will do as recommended and use the bio-ware option, Miss Cynthia. Thank you.”[/color]
At that moment, Cynthia hears steps running down the stairs and Claudia and Sandy appear in the kitchen, both a bit out of breath.Each looks at Rob Lee and his daughter before bidding them good morning and giving them wide smiles. Alana walks into the room behind the two women and their smiles dissipate and they hang their heads as the housekeeper scolds them without saying a word, using only her facial expression. The subdues women move silently to the table and Alana disappears, but not before Cynthia notes a slight smile on her face that the other two are out of position to see.
The cook and her staff begin bringing food to the table and everyone waits for Cynthia and her lovers to sit before serving the food.
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[Cynthia Rawson – 06:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1216
Cynthia glanced at Claudia and Sandy, her eyebrows rising noticeably, but she quickly turned back towards the father and daughter duo. She didn’t try to do anything specifically to put them at ease, supposing that by drawing attention to it it would instead backfire. No, instead she simply behaved normally: hopefully they’d soon realize there wasn’t anything to it. The only thing she did pay attention to, was speaking in front of the girl so that she could read on her lips.
She sat ot the table, inviting everyone to do so, then continued. “We have an…expedition…in the forest and swamp this morning, so we won’t leave straight away. You’re welcome to stay here in the meantime. I have an appointement at 13:00, and a stop to make before that, so let’s say we should leave around 12:00.” She looked at Sandy then. “I’m thinking that while I’m getting my own stuff, you could bring her to your doc?” She smiled, amused. “You’d do something more constructive than worry needlessly that way.”
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06:45, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Breakfast seems to go as planned, with Rob Lee and Anna seeming to relax a bit. Sandy gives Cynthia a slight grin, although her face seems to have a worried look as she nods. Looking around at the others, she tries to keep the worry out of her voice. “That’s right, no needless worry.” She mutters something under her breath, though, as she eyes Cynthia.
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[Cynthia Rawson – 06:45, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1217
Cynthia snorted, half amused half annoyed. “You’re the one with the chrome you know. I’m only going to get some cells that were grown from my own, it’s worlds apart.”
Turning towards their two guests, she said. “Alright, it’s going to be time for us to go on that… Uh… Well, to go in the forest and the swamp.” She grimaced visibly, obviously not particularly eager. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave instructions so if a Croc eats us you’ll still be able to take care of her.” She was of course joking, but she turned to Sandy. “See, I think you should worry about the walking purses we’re going to meet soon, not me getting my brain tweaked a bit.”
“In the meantime,” she turned back to Rob Lee, “You’re welcome to stay here, take a nap or whatever.” As she stood, she added “Oh, just avoid the labyrinth, it might not be safe for now.”
After that, she went to brush her teeth, and came back down just in time for… Well, for whatever was supposed to happen. Which was not to say she was ready for it. Merely on time…
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07:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Sandy blushes a bit and looks away, but refrains from saying more. Rob Lee agrees to remain at the mansion, even though he seems a bit uncomfortable in the place. He nods carefully at the admonition to not go into the maze.
Cynthia and the others return to the ground floor to find that John and Alyssa are waiting for them, along with James and five saddled horses. All three staff members smile and nod at the women as John steps forward. “Good morning, Mistresses. We have a short ride to where the boats wait. I trust that you will have an enjoyable couple of hours. If there is time and you are still interested, we will can continue the morning with a ride into the forest. Any questions?”
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[Cynthia Rawson – 07:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1218
On the way out, Cynthia took Sandy’s hand: she was annoyed by what she truly felt were needless worries, but she wasn’t really angry.
Outside, she quickly stepped behind the two other girls, looking at the huge animals with big eyes. She wasn’t quite afraid, but was pretty close to it: she had after all never seen animals so big before in her life, so being put in front of five of them at once… And being told she was expected to ride one of them… She wasn’t even sure she’d manage to even get there in the first place!
In a small voice, she answered “We have four hours, more or less, but… Uh…”
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07:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Sandy gives Cynthia’s hand a gentle squeeze as they walk out of the house.
James, seeming to understand some of the issues, steps forward and shows the three women how to mount and control the horses, telling them that these are gentle beasts, used to people riding them. He then offers to assist each of them to mount, providing support for them. When all three women are up on their steeds, John and Alyssa mount the other two horses and the group heads off, with John in the lead and Alyssa taking up the rear.
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[Cynthia Rawson – 07:30, Sunday June 16th, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1219
After quite a bit of hesitation, Cynthia got up on her horse. Going there had been easier than she had thought in the beginning – all things considered anyway – but she still didn’t look particularly comfortable perched there. In fact, she was really, really, hoping that her horse knew it only had to follow the one in front and almot prayed that it didn’t decide to suddenly take off for one reason or another.
At some point, maybe starting to relax a bit, she asked. “What are we going to see in the swamp exactly? And uh… What do we do if there’s a croc?”
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07:45, Sunday June 16th, On Horseback, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Cinnamon, the horse Cynthia is riding, seems to be content to walk alongside Jame’s horse at the front of the group and shows no sign of wanting to bolt into some sort of death gallop. James chuckles softly, getting Cynthia’s attention. “You do not have to hold the reins so tightly, Miss. Cinnamon knows what to do. As for what you might see in the swamp, it is all part and parcel of what you own. I do hope to show you some interesting parts of it, though. You need not fear seeing any crocs here as they do not live in this part of the world. You might see some alligators, though. They can be just as big and just as mean as a croc, so we will keep our eyes open for them.”
He sweeps his arm forward to where a line of green crosses the horizon. “There is the swamp, Mistresses. We should be at the outer fringe in a few minutes. There we will get into three boats that will take us into a part of your lands that few outsiders see. I have arranged for local guides to take us into the swamp.”
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[Cynthia Rawson – 07:45, Sunday June 16th, On Horseback Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1220
“Right, alligators, not crocs. That’s so much better…” Cynthia rolled her eyes. She tried to relax a bit, but it wasn’t all that successful, every unexpected movement of her mount – of Cinnamon – seeing her tighten the reins in her hands. Still, at some point she awkwardly taped the horse’s shoulder having seen James do it.
When told about the three boats, she seemed for a moment about to ask how that was going to work with five of them, but closed her mouth when the answer was provided. She nodded. “Okay.” After a second, she frowned. “You’re speaking about locals… Are they in the same situation as the people depending on the cotton or sugar cane fields? Or are they all good?”
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07:45, Sunday June 16th, On Horseback, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
James nods when Cynthia taps Cinnamon’s shoulder. “That’s right, Miss. You are in charge, but the horse needs to feel your touch once in a while. Gentle is as gentle does, if you mark my words, and Cinnamon is about as gentle as they come, but you hace to remember that you are the boss.”
He nods again at her questions. “They live in the swamps, Miss. They are descendants of slaves who escaped the nearby plantations way back in the mid 1800s. One of the earlier owners offered them sanctuary in the swamp and they have just stayed. Sadly, the two owners after him were not sympathetic to their cause and the escaped slaves had to move further into the swamp for their safety. The owners after them were fairly ambivalent, mostly ignoring the people in the swamp. They have a sort of thriving community back there by now.”
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[Cynthia Rawson – 07:45, Sunday June 16th, On Horseback Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1221
Knowing that the horse could decide at any moment to do whatever it pleased didn’t really make Cynthia feel very much in command, but she didn’t say anything about it. Her doubts were after all pretty visible, even if they were a bit less than previously: it would take a while at the very least. Though… Who knows, maybe she’d come to like it…
She took a moment then to think about the people in the swamp, then nodded. “I see. Well, I don’t mind leaving them alone if that’s what they want.” After all, it wouldn’t make her job any more difficult. And if they did want something they probably knew how to go to the house. Would they want to was another problem, but she supposed word of mouth would let them make their own opinion about that bit fast enough. In the meantime however, she had no intention of thinking much about that problem.
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08:00, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
The tree line gets closer and closer over the next few minutes and the women can see that James is heading to a small collection of several shanties at the edge of the trees. The shanties look like they were quickly cobbled together out of wood picked off the ground. One of the shacks is built near the edge of the water, with a small wooden dock extending into the swamp. Five small boats are tied up to the dock. The trees immediately behind the shacks are old growth trees, with moss dripping to the ground and water below. From her vantage point atop Cinnamon, Cynthia can see that water begins near the first trees and extends away from here.
Several people are standing outside of the buildings, apparently waiting for them. As she gets closer, Cynthia can see that the waiting group is made up of seven men, then she sees four women standing in another group and several children playing among the buildings. One of the women calls out in a strange sort of patois that Cynthia can almost make out and the children cease playing and run toward the women.
James stops in front of the group of men and dismounts before walking forward and raising a hand in greeting to a man who steps forward of the group. Some words are said while the riders dismount. James brings the man with him and introduces him. “Mistresses, this is Peter. He is the lead guide for us this morning. He has brought two other men and three boats with him.”
Peter nods his head. He is smiling, but his eyes are wary and one hand is never too far away from a long knife in a sheath at his belt. “I am Peter. You must be the new owners? I bid you welcome to our home. Are you ready to go into the swamp?”
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[Cynthia Rawson – 08:00, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1222
As they reached the edges of the swamp, Cynthia looked around curiously. She wasn’t really impressed by the “buildings” but tried to not show it. It’d probably make a terrible first impression after all. If they asked, she’d probably be able to help a bit, but people like that tended te be quite proud: they’d certainly take offense if she was the one to suggest it.
Instead, she paid closed attention to the two – or three counting the children – groups that looked at them as they arrived. There however, she frowned slightly: what was it with this separation between men and women? She really hoped it was nothing more than simply men wanting to talk with other men and women wanting to talk to women, and nothing more segregated. That she wouldn’t be pleased with. At all.
As James greeted the welcoming committee, she gingerly stepped down from Cinnamon, looking quite proud of herself when on the ground. She patted the horse, but jumped away when the horse nudged her head with an undignified sound that seemed to baffle the horse.
Cynthia was pretty glad for the interruption when James came with Peter, and turned to the two men. She nodded politely to the local “Nice to meet you Peter. You can call me Cynthia.” She rolled her eyes a bit. “Or Miss Cynthia if you really have to…” She didn’t quite glare at James, but it was pretty obvious he was included in that. She didn’t really like the sound of mistress.
She waved at the two other girls. “This is Claudia and this is Sandy. We’ll be in your hands for a couple of hours then.” She seemed a bit concerned. “Is there something we need to know before we go? Besides trying to stay in the boat and not fall in the water?”
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08:00, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Peter grins and nods at Cynthia, perhaps picking up that she was not really comfortable. “Well, the boats are small and they have a shallow draft, so I would advise that you do not stand up in them. it is quite likely that you will see several snakes. Some of them will be small and harmless, some will be small and very deadly, and some will be very large. We will try to point out which are which for you. Ought to see a few gators, too, mind you, and I should not need to tell you to try to avoid being in the water with them.”
He nods his head at the wall of one of the buildings. Turning, Cynthia and the others can see several hides nailed up to the wall. “Most of the adults will be in the eight foot to twelve foot range, but there are some monsters that get up to sixteen feet or more.” He grins again. “Lots of good meat on those larger ones, but they can be a might persnickety about letting you have that meat.”
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[Cynthia Rawson – 08:00, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1223
“Yeah right, snakes too of course.” Cynthia didn’t look particularly happy, wondering why the hell she was doing that in the first place. She looked silently at the hides, feeling real small in front of them. And those were just hides. With the rest of beast, alive… She shivered just thinking about it, feeling really vulnerable: in front of one of those, there was absolutely nothing she would be able to do but try to run, knowing that in this place, the beasts had all the advantages.
Unless she managed to escape for a few seconds: those beasts didn’t like to exercise, they didn’t have the metabolism for it. Shaking her head, she added. “Alright, no standing up then.” She glanced at the other two girls, then back at Peter. “Well, we’re ready when you are…” Lower, almost inaudibly, she added. ”I hope…”
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08:05, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
Peter nods and motions to the dock area. He walks beside Cynthia as they make their way to the small boats. “We will be taking three people in each boat. That means that the five of you will be split up. Normally, we could put several more people in each boat, but we are also taking one of the women with us, as she is returning with supplies for the village out there. They are mostly self-sufficient, but they do need some things sent out to them on occasion.”
As she nears the dock, Cynthia notes that each of the three boats they are taking have several bags of goods such as flour and sugar. One of the women leaves the small group and walks forward to join the boat group, along with two of the other men. Cynthis and the others are introduced to Magwen, the woman, who actually appears to be perhaps in her early twenties, along with Jules and Marc, who are the other two boatmen. Peter motions to the boats that are gently rocking in the water. “The boats are about a foot lower than the dock, so please be careful when stepping down. Move to the center of one of the seats and sit down. We should be moving in just a few minutes.”
One of the boatmen will make the descent to the boats first then offer Cynthia and the others a hand to assist them. At the end, Cynthia is in a boat with Peter and Magwen, Sandy is with James and Jules, and Claudia has Marc and Alyssa as her companions. After the boats are untied from the dock, each boatman picks up a long pole and pushes his boat out into the channel.
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[Cynthia Rawson – 08:05, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle] #1224
Cynthia didn’t seem to mind to not be with Sandy or Claudia on the bots: when she had heard there were three bots, it had been what she had been expecting to happen anyway. She looked curiously at the supplies in the boat, and paid even more attention when it was time to get onboard. Falling from the horse would have been embarrassing, she’d probably have had a nice collection of bruises as a result, but odds were that would be the end of it. With the swamp’s population though… Embarrassment was the last thing she cared about. Alright maybe not, but it was pretty low in her priorities of things to avoid at the moment.
A minute later, once truly on the way, she asked her two companions. “So, what is it that you do?” After a few seconds she added. “I mean, it’s your home and all that. Okay. But still… What’s there that makes it worth it to share with gators, snakes and I don’t know – and probably don’t want to know – what else.”
The girl looked at Magwen. “You live in the village over there, right?” She indicated the front of the boat, though she obviously had no idea where it truly was.
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08:10, Sunday June 16th, Swamp, Serenity, Cajun Town, Seattle
At Cynthia’s question, Peter chuckles and Magwen just looks at her. Peter motions with his arm to the huge trees they are gliding past. “This is our paradise, Miss Cynthia. Why would we want to live anywhere else? Living with the gators and snakes and everything else is just part of living to us. I suppose part of it is just being used to it all and another part is that we are too stubborn to move. We are the descendants of escaped slaves, some from the very plantation you now own, and we are proud of the life we have carved from the mangroves. The Loa have been very kind to us. We are just a small part of your plantation, but we can be useful in several ways, and that is why we wanted to get you out here. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised.”
Magwen nods at Peter’s comments then answers Cynthia’s other question, although her accent makes it difficult to completely understand her. “Yes, I am from the village. I came to trade for supplies and James thought that we should show you where we live.” Her eyes get a bit brighter as she describes the different trees and other vegetation the boat passes. She points out several “floating logs” that are really alligators, as well as several varieties of snakes and birds. The massive trees provide a canopy that serves to dim the sunlight, which only gets even more noticeable the further the boats travel.
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