Chapter Five: Kestian

Kestian felt lighter than air as they hurried up the back stairs of the Gilded Vine and to their room to get dressed for work.

"Do circuses normally last all morning and afternoon?" Egeria asked as they rushed past her.

"No," Kestian replied "but I met someone" their smile spread across their face.

"Well clearly I need to know more" Egeria said and followed them into their room. "So tell me" she sat down on the bed and watched Kestian start to get changed, "Who did you meet?"

"The ring master of the circus. She’s amazing." Kestian said.

"Go on."

"Well she's a bard and from the minute she started the show I couldn't take my eyes off her."

"So you were enthralled by a bard's performance?" Egeria asked. She sounded unimpressed.

"No, well yes, but not like that. She was casting plenty, but she didn't need to cast to keep my attention."

"So what was it about her?" Egeria asked.

"It was in her music, in her movement. Ria, you have to come see her. She's amazing." Kestian said.

"You're quite smitten, aren't you?" Egeria asked with a sly smile.

"It’s hard not to be." Kestian replied with a smile of their own.

"Well go on what else?"

"After the show I had to see her. I found one of the performers and asked where I could wait for her and he pointed me in the direction of her tent."

"You waited by her tent? Kest, that’s a little forward even for you." Egeria said

"Maybe," Kestian said with a little blush. "But I did get to meet her."

"And?" Egeria asked you've been gone all afternoon what happened?

"We talked, and walked down by the waterfront, and..." Kestian trailed off.

"And?" Egeria prompted.

"And I'm going back to see her again tomorrow." Kestian said.

"You are entirely ridiculous." Egeria said

"Am I?" Kestian asked, standing in front of where she sat on the bed.

"Entirely" Egeria said leaning back on her elbows and hooking her legs around theirs"

Kestian bent over her and she laid back. Egeria lifted her hand behind Kestian's neck and pulled them down, claiming their mouth with a kiss. "Completely and entirely ridiculous." She said

Kestian hummed a laugh and kissed her one more time, offered a hand, and pulled Egeria to her feet. "Come on, we'll be opening soon, we have our work to do."

"We are going to finish this later." Egeria said.

"I hope that’s a promise." Kestian said with a wink.

"Just because I don’t have an oath doesn't mean I would break my word." Egeria said. She blew a kiss slinked out the door.

Kestian took a deep breath. Cotton was still on their mind. They couldn't not think of her, the way she moved, the sound of her voice, the performance of her magic. Kestian knew better than to believe in love at first sight. Love took time. Love took knowing someone. What they had now was infatuation, a minor obsession. But they wanted desperately to follow it and find where it would go. Cotton was simply far too interesting far too beautiful to let pass by. Kestian finished dressing, put on their sword, lit incense, said a quick prayer, and went to their post.

The early evening was uneventful for the most part. There were regulars as well as new faces. People either traveling through or else just visiting for the first time. There was of course a few they turned away that were too young to enter. Tonight, it was a group of boys they suspected had not even yet entered into apprenticeships. They wondered idly if the boys knew how ridiculous they looked with their puffed out chests and their voices shoved so low it sounded like they were trying to speak from their shoes. Kestian's musings were interrupted by a small bell being rung inside. That was the panic alarm. Kestian turned and went inside immediately. They consulted the silver tablet beside the bell to see who had activated the alarm. Carlota. Kestian was up the stairs and at the door in an instant. They found it locked. Not a good sign. "Carlota!" They called as they knocked on the door.

"She’s occupied!" A gruff voice answered.

Kestian tensed for the oncoming fight. They took a step back and slammed their shoulder into the door breaking it in easily.

"Do you not know the meaning of the word occupied?" The man asked. He had Carlota pinned against the wall.

Kestian took him by the shoulder and pulled him off of her. "Do you not know the meaning of the word no?"

"This is a whore house, no doesn't exist here."

Kestian punched him hard in the face. They shook out their hand once and squared their shoulders.

"This is a house of pleasure and I invite you now to leave; either under your own power or under mine."

"You’re the one that let me in just standing by the door looking pretty. Who are you to try and throw me out?"

Kestian grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him in close.

"I am Kestian Cere Thaedra. Oath knight of Valaethira. I am her wrath and justice and your actions have offended her so I will tell you again, you are free to leave now, either under your power or under mine."

"You’re bluffing" the man said "you’re just for show. I bet that sword isn't even real and your armor is tin." Kestian felt their radiance beginning to manifest and glow around them. They turned to Carlota. "You know sometimes I wonder if Egeria doesn't have a point about men." They said and hauled the man out of the room. He struggled and yelled to be put down but he posed no challenge to Kestian. They shoved and let him stumble down the stairs then picked him back up by the back of his shirt and pants and bodily threw him outside. He stumbled and fell on to the brick paved street. He struggled to pick himself up then turned and clumsily threw a punch at Kestian. They dodged it easily and returned with their own. The man crumbled to the ground like a scarecrow thrown off its poll. He tried to get up again. Kestian drew their sword. "Stay down" they said. They were glowing now, light radiating from them. The man looked up at them his anger turning to fear. Kestian turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and saw a familiar face. Lorelie.

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"What seems to be the problem here?" She asked. Lorelie was in the uniform of the city watch and wore an epaulet from the pleasure guild marking her as one her served particularly in this district.

"This one resisted being thrown out." Kestian said keeping their menacing glare fixed on the man.

"And what was he being thrown out for exactly?" Lorelie asked.

"I don’t ask questions when I'm called." Kestian replied.

"Well as he is outside now why don't you leave him to us. This is our jurisdiction after all."

Kestian looked at Lorelie and her companion, also a member of the watch. This was hardly the first time this sort of thing had happened. This was in fact how they and Lorelie had met the first time.

"Of course, officers" Kestian stepped back from the man and sheathed their sword.

"Thank you, Kestian." Lorelie said.

"Of course Lorelie" Kestian said. They stepped back again and turned towards the Gilded Vine. The officers restrained the man and walked him away. Any attention the tussle had gathered dispersed back to their business.

"Kestian?" They turned towards David's voice.

"David," they said.

"You’re still glowing." He said.

"Oh" Kestian remarked and pulled their radiance back into themself.

"So this is what you do for work?" He asked

"Well a good night is an uneventful night but, yes this is where I work. This is what I do."

He nodded and took a step closer to them. "Does that sort of thing normally happen?"

"More often than it should, but not normally no. Just me standing here makes a pretty good deterrent against the wrong sort. Honestly on a normal night the most I have to do is turn away some child claiming to be older than they are." Kestian reached an arm up to brush their hair off their neck.

"What’s that?" David reached up and grabbed their wrist. He ran his finger down the new scar on their forearm. "You didn't have this last night, did you?" He asked.

"Not while we were together no." Kestian said and gently pulled their arm out of his grasp. "My friend and I ran into a bit of trouble on the way home. But the other guy was much worse off than me and also my friend healed this for me, so no harm done."

"It doesn't look like no harm done." David said reaching again for their arm.

"David I'm fine." Kestian said waving him off. They smiled. "I’m glad you came by though."

"I didn't know where you worked so, I wanted to see." David said.

"I'd show you around a bit more but, I am working right now." Kestian said.

"No of course. You' re right. You look great by the way."

"Thank you." Kestian said, a bit surprised by the compliment.

"I mean it’s like you said the other night. Half your job is to look intimidating. And you do accomplish that you look intimidating, and beautiful and... valiant" he said.

"Thank you." Kestian said again, they blushed a little.

"Excuse me sir are you going in?" An obvious teenager asked before trying to walk past David and Kestian into the house.

Kestian put their hand out, "how old are you?" They asked

"18" said the child.

Kestian shook her head. "What’s your mom's name?"

"Lilah," the child said.

"And your father"

"Carolus"

"Any older siblings?"

"Yes my sister"

"And how old is she?"

"She just turned 15."

"Your older sister just turned 15?"

"Umm" the child said.

"Go home kid." David said. "Before your parents send out a search party."

The child found no words but blushed an impressive shade of scarlet and walked quickly down the street.

Kestian laughed. "Well maybe I'm not intimidating enough if boys like him still think they can get in."

David laughed as well.

Kestian reached out and took his hand. "When is your next day free? I work evenings and my next night free is not till the end of the week. But I could see you in the daytime, if you would like to see me."

"I would like that." David said. "To see you I mean. I'll talk to my master and see if perhaps I could move my day."

"I look forward to it." Kestian squeezed his hand. "Until then" they smiled. They wanted to kiss him but both the pleasure guild and Fernando had their rules.

"Until then." David said. He smiled and gave a nod of his head before turning and walking away.

Kestian smiled. This day could not be better.