Writing. She knew basics of it. How to hold a quill and how to dip it ink. Yet, the scribbles on the parchment was just an endless group of lines in a certain pattern and order. The demon noticed that some patterns were repeated and a little dot was put at the end of each combination. Veda observed every curve and detail to each combination. It seemed that the words and letters had their own style. An arch or a lift here and there on certain words. But it was consistent with all the words. She may not have understood the letter's meanings but she could figure out how to write them. The demon had written before, just not real words or letters.

Her hand took the quill and dipped it into the ink. Then she began. She had watched Qadim's motions and movements while writing. He clearly understood what these words meant. Veda wondered if he would still be interested in her if he found out she couldn't read or understand the letters she wrote. If he had told her to write her name, she would have been unable to write anything. The quill touched the parchment, moving in almost a dance around the paper. Every move that she made was almost exactly like how Qadim moved. Even the expression on her face was similar to the expression Qadim had when he was writing. All the thoughts in her mind were entirely focused on the curves, lines, and movements to make them so.

Soon she finished with the writing and placed the ink down on the side. Did she do well? Worry about how she performed bounced around in her mind. The actual parchment was a near exact copy of Qadim's handwriting and words. The only thing missing was a period on the last sentence. Otherwise it was extremely similar. Smells of delicious cooked meat hit her and she practically raced over to the table. Plucking the garlic and asparagus one by one off of her plate with her fingers, she began to eat all of her food. Her mind kept going back to the parchment and what it might have said.

The rest of her mind had a variety of things that the demon was not currently thinking about. Her weaknesses, money, survival, her strengths, the goal of making more money, the fact she had always wanted to eat a pomegranate, the fact she wanted to try to eat a rose, and some other miscellaneous thoughts. However, the highest guarded thoughts within her mind was her family and something else. Her family were precious and all thoughts of them were mentally protected. The other one was different. There was a strange emotion within her suppressed deep deep down. One that she had spent a long time to block and control.

She started to eat the steak and eventually had it dangling out of her mouth like she was some dog.

Impressive. The way she held herself when writing was quite remarkable. The way she tried to mimic him more than his writing was certainly far more impressive than he had thought, and the penmanship was quite accurate, even making sure about the pressure he used when scribing and adapted her motions to make up for the difference in hand size. But still, the fact that she copied him for it was a bit worrying, and thus, before the chef left, Qadim signaled him over before talking to him in Orcish tongue, making sure she would struggle what he had planned net. After all, it was time to eat.

Unlike Veda, Qadim took a smoother, much calmer method to his steak after setting down his cigar. Slowly using a knife to cut off a portion of it, he examined the color and smell of the steak before sending it into his maw, chewing it thoroughly to slowly release the flavors. It certainly lacked the spicy kick that he preferred, but it was more than likely to play it safe for the guest… who attacked the meat before her like a ravenous dog. "Enjoying" it was far from what was being presented. It was more like a gift from the heavens to her, making sure to take in as much as she could before someone else took it from her. There was hardly a care about any of the juice of spice getting on her hands or fresh clothes.

A perfect time to test her.

"Now, I can tell by your horns you are not a human," Qadim remarked as he picked up the wine glass, taking a long whiff of its aroma. "May people these days always use humans as a base line to compare other species, so why don't we do the same? What are you and how do you differ from a human?" His words had a bit of a ring to it to the seed he set in her mind, seeing how she would respond to her words. While his ears were focused on the sounds that would come from her lips, his eye watched carefully to hers, as they often gave the most hints on how much or little they realized what was happening before their bodies could fully respond. "I would like to know both the strengths and weaknesses that come from such a lineage. After all, should I hire you, it would be best to know fully on what I would be working with. End with 'That is it,' when you are done." A last bit to see how well she would catch it while her mind is busy with the food before her. If she does not, then the next test would really see her mental strengths.

Veda had picked up on Qadim talking in Orcish tongue. The words spoken were unfamiliar to her. However, she repeated them in her head a couple of times. Just in case she couldn't grasp the way he said it right away. Perhaps she could find somebody who spoke the language to translate it. Veda continued to tear at her steak until it was completely devoured. The vegetables were gone too. Leaving nothing but spices and sauces on the plate.

"I'd think it would be pretty obvious that I'm a demon." Veda said, distracted by the wine, "And I don't think that knowing what skills and weaknesses are related to my species will help you much since they can't be changed much anyway.  But if you're worried about me turning violent all of the sudden cause demon or something, that doesn't happen to me."

The glass of wine looked pretty but the demon knew better than to try it. She had alcohol once and despised the taste. Who was the genius who decided to combine bitterness and flavor together? If one wanted flavor, just put it in water or some other drink! Veda avoided the drink and instead lowered her head down to the plate. She was going to lick the plate clean but stopped herself. Realizing that Qadim was already observing her every move, she decided to have some manners. Instead she cleaned her face off with the napkin presented at the table.

"Why'd you want me to say That is it? If I stop talking then it usually means I'm done." Veda asked bluntly.

The demon was oblivious to the mental thing that Qadim had done. It was her a mixture of metal fortitude and plain emotion that protected her.

A hearty laugh escaped from him again as he took another bite from the steak, noting her words. It means her mental walls are strong. Strong enough to not be affected by such simple efforts. Sure, he can place more effort and force the words he wanted to hear spill from her mouth, but it was not really necessary. After all, the goal actually wasn't to learn about her, but more of her defenses. "Sorry. There have just been times when people try to get something across before suddenly remembering one last hidden detail, which often messes up the negotiations. You don't know long long I have had my time wasted by such things. Therefore, I have gotten into the habit of negotiating details up to that point. Anything past that is not of my own concern."

The lunch hour grew long as Qadim worked at the steak at his own pace while Veda had devoured hers instantly. Any attempt upon trying to escape would have been blocked until the negotiations were finished, so she just had to sit back and stare, maybe washing up the steak juices to pass the time.  However, when the last piece of potato went down his throat, the doors opened up once more, this time bringing in two pieces of cake and yet another piece of parchment.

"Our time for dessert is almost here," Qadim stated, "but before we eat, I want you to, once again, copy down what our chef here has written and filling in the blanks from what is missing." This time, she had no reference to go off of on how to move her hand, nor did she have the final piece to the letter: the signature. "I am sure Mr. Jake Dressel here would appreciate you doing this for him." The note did have a few ways he did the letters to his name, but would it be enough for her to catch on?

"Fair enough." Veda said awkwardly sitting at the table. 

She didn't really know what to do. Her attentions turned to her own outfit. Fiddling with her pants while waiting for Qadim to finish was not the most interesting of activities but it was better than nothing. The fabric was soft and difficult to stretch. Her golden eyes observed the area around her. Most of the exits and escape routes were blocked off. This little fact put the demon on edge. Veda had no intentions of leaving but the fact that she couldn't leave, at least not as easily, meant that he might try to keep her here. Freedom wasn't essential to life but it made everything easier. Suddenly, the doors opened up. Her head whipped back to the direction of the doors as two pieces of cake and another piece of parchment arrived. Slight concern melted away from her face. Only to be replaced by a look of strong desire. Her thoughts were very simple. Cake. 

Veda's reptile-like tail began to sway then became more rapid at the sight of cake. She was only half paying attention to what Qadim was saying. It was only until she heard something about doing something for a Dressel that she paid proper attention. Hopping off the chair, she took the parchment over to the desk again to repeat what she did last time. Looking over the parchment, the demon noticed that the letters looked different. Confusion cut across her face as she observed the letter over and over. Veda paused then took up the pen and dipped it in the ink. 

Instead of writing on the parchment paper, she wrote on her arm. The first letter she wrote was still like Qadim's but with a slight adjustments. The next letter on her arm was a mixture between Qadim's letter and the chef's letter. Her movements adapted to get the letters more like the chef's but still had the same general structure that Qadim had. For example, one of the letters had a certain curve that needed a circular motion in order to be written. But she lowered her arm to make the curve to be longer. Once she was done, she had five practice letter on her arm. The last letter being almost an exact copy of the chef's letter. 

Now it was time for the real challenge. Her movements went from slow and careful to suddenly becoming fast. The chef's letters displayed a different pace. He was quicker on some letters rather than others. Ones with curves were faster while the ones with straighter lines were written with a slower pace. Soon, the demon had copied everything on the letter. The only thing missing was the weird combination of letters at the end like in Qadim's written parchment. The demon took the chef's original writing and observed it closely. Then Veda took the copy she made for Qadim. Going over the letter, she could see a pattern of letters that was similar to the signature below. 

Veda had no idea which pattern of letters she was supposed to write at the bottom. However, she had a theory. Qadim's pattern of letters for the signature at the bottom were the same pattern of letters that always had the first letter capitalized, even if it wasn't at the beginning. Therefore, she was supposed to look for a pattern of letters that had a large letter at the front but was not at the start of the sentence. Going through the chef's original writings, the demon spotted what she was looking for. Veda reviewed the letters that constructed the pattern and how to make them. 

Then, Veda went to the bottom of her copy of the Chef's writings and started to work on the signature. She made it slightly bigger like how Qadim's signature was but used the letters that constructed the Chef's name. Although, the demon was unaware that this was his name or how even to pronounce it. The signature would have looked extremely similar to the chef's signature. But if the chef had added any fancy lines or symbols to his own signature that Qadim didn't add to his, then it would be slightly different. Once Veda was done, she dropped the quill off to the side. Leaning her head over to her arm where the letters were drawn, she began to lick the ink off. Her arm felt as though a couple of needles had stung it. Veda didn't give it much thought.

She wanted that cake. 

The way her tail wagged made the demon look more like a dog, eager for the treat presented to her. Her eyes were dead-locked on the treat before her before needing to snap her attention back forward. Still, despite all the steps she took to adjust to the differing style, her tail still wagged impatiently, as if getting it done for the sweet that rested before her. Still, she was able to place her focus on the item at hand in order to copy what she was asked before trying to work on the final piece… a task that much harder considering her attention was elsewhere.

Once she had finished, Qadim took back both sheets of paper, covering up her attempt at the signature as Jake passed out the cakes before them before taking the original, placing his own signature down before as the final piece to the unknown test. It did not take long to figure it out. "As I feared: You are illiterate. Your art of forgery and mimicry is certainly impressive, that is for sure, but dealing with the missing element certainly affected your ability." It was then he set the two signatures side by side, just showing how off the two names were… if Veda's could even be called a name.

"And here I thought I had a specific job for you as a final test of your ability." His hand reached below the desk to pull out a bag, dropping it on the table with the loud sound of rattling coin to echo in the air. "A paid job, no less… One thousand silver. Sound be plenty to be able to get started on your life outside of these walls. However, if you cannot learn to copy something without knowing what you are copying, then I am afraid I cannot give it to you. Unless…" His fingers dug into the bag, digging out stacks of coins and setting them aside. "The job I would need you to do is on a week's timer. If you can learn how to read and understand letters and numbers along with what you just did, I would still be able to pay you. All it would take would be a 300 silver cut from the pay to make up for living wages that include a bed, food, and bath for the week along with a tutoring session from Luxuria Mortiferum. It will be rough, but I can assure you that will be worth while.

"However, should you fail to be able to do the job within the span of time given, or leave any hint of activity from either side and raise suspicion at all, not only will your pay be declined, but you will owe back the wages used to train you plus interest." Taking his fork, he let it smoothly delve into the rich frosting and soft cake before holding it out in front of her. "So tell me, are you still interested?" were his last words before taking the bite. Ah, chocolate…

As soon as the cake was set down upon the table, Veda zipped straight to her chair and plunged her mouth into the chocolaty treat. The demon lifted her head back up and swallowed the chunks she had chewed. Frosting covered her face. She snatched parts of the cake. Then she shoved it into her mouth. Her attention was only on the cake. The stuff that Qadim was saying hardly interested her. It wasn't until he showed the signatures side by side, that Veda payed attention. The demon's ears folded back in disappointment. Qadim hadn't been fooled. She wondered how long he suspected her inability to read. Her mind didn't linger long on that. There was cake. Her mind was on cake again. She continued to chomp on the desert. Her tail whipped back and forth with excitement. Luckily, her tail didn't hit anything. Chocolate cake was paradise incarnated into a delicious pastry! 

Her ears perked up at the mention of one thousand silver. One thousand?! She knew that was above 100 so it must have been great payment! The cake was completely devoured. There was nothing to distract Veda now. Qadim wanted her to do a job in a week's time. He was offering to pay her to write something and education. The 300 silver cut didn't bother her at all. Mostly because she didn't know how much that was from her payment. But it wasn't a thousand so she was bound to be paid something. A tutoring session? Might have been hard. Determination lit up in her eyes despite him telling her what the consequences for failure was. This was a risk she would be willing to take. With that money, her family would be thriving. They could get a better house and pay for protection. 

"Yes!" The demon responded enthusiastically, "When do we start?!"

No other questions asked. Veda was diving into the deep without another thought about it. Any other person would have wisely chosen to say no or deny the deal. Especially with those consequences. However, the demon was not wise. She was determined. This learning would happen. But there was more to it than that. A burning emotion lingered in the back of her mind, growing stronger. A curiosity that might become unleashed. Risks were at the door. The demon was ready. 

Her determination for the task at hand was as equal as for the lust of cake she surely displayed, seeing how chocolate frosting how laced all over her face and clothes.  A mental note, for sure. However, the shine in her eyes told him all he really wanted to know. "You have until sunset to ready and enjoy yourself, considering that the next week, you will have eyes on you at all times," Qadim stated, taking another blank parchment and working up a new letter, the chef next to him walking over and bringing him a candle. "Should you fail to show up at the port's tavern before sunset, we will take as you abandoning the task. We will not charge you for anything if you choose to do so," he assured her.

Once his signature was placed at the bottom of the page, he folded it up before taking the candle and dropping some wax down upon the page, singing it a bit, but hardly enough to cause it to set on fire. Still, the wax was quick to cool off and harden, which the orc removed the ring from his finger and imprinted it on the wax, lifting it up to reveal his company's crest imprinted into the wax. "However, show this to the tavern master before then and he shall show you to a room your tutor will have set up. During that time, he will teach you about the characters used within the Revaliian alphabet and numbering systems and basic words that you will see common to your job at hand. If you wish, you can even ask him to teach you more on reading and arithmetic, though he will be sure to charge for that as well. When he is not teaching, he will be watching your diet and keeping an eye on your cleanliness. You will have 5 days to impress him enough that you can do the task before I tell you anything more."

With those words out of the way, he slid the letter across the table to her. "Also, please be aware that, should the seal break before arriving to the tavern master, it will be rendered void and the job forfeit. Now then, you are dismissed. 'Til we see each other next," He toasted her one last time with the wine before taking a sip and heading back to the cake, letting the demon leave and do as she wished.

Watching the business man make another letter, she was fascinated by what he had. Qadim could read, write, and had multiple servants at his command. The demon did not particularly want servants herself but it made her wonder how powerful money really was. It was necessary for survival but she had only bothered to notice what it could do today. She used her tongue to clean off any remaining frosting. Realizing that the napkin was there for that, she switched to using the napkin instead. Her attention was on Qadim while wiping herself off. After hearing everything, she was slightly worried about whether or not she could fulfill the task. However, the demon was most concerned about keeping the seal not broken. For once in her life, Veda would need to be careful. She reviewed her hands, arms, and face before picking up the letter. Plucking it up like it was a delicate piece of glass. She stood up from the table and nodded. The demon headed towards the door but suddenly stopped.

"Oh, and one more thing." Veda stated firmly turning to Qadim, "Anybody who is not involved has no business knowing about this deal."

Her voice was calm and firm, similar to the type of attitude that Qadim held. It was as if this was all just business to her and not as massive as it is to her. Veda was serious about keeping the deal somewhat private. However, she was also using this as a chance to see the results of copying someone else's attitude. Where there advantages to the way he spoke and acted? Was it the reason that he got this far in the first place? There was much more to know. Then the demon finally left the freight ship and headed out back to the city. She took several turns and twists in case anybody was following her. One alleyway to a street then ducking under a stall and slipping into another alleyway. Eyes peeled for any sign of someone tracking her down. Once Veda was certain nobody had followed her, she headed back to the slums.

Walking through the slums, everything seemed different. Trash and garbage seemed worthless now. Especially in the comparison to the money she might be able to earn in the future. The demon approached a tiny shack. Instead of strong walls there were four walls made up of scrap wood tied with rope or with nails barely keeping the place together. The roof consisted of other scraps of wood and some scraps of other materials to keep the rain out as much as possible. Sticks and twigs were bound together with rope to construct a door. Pushing the door open, Veda stepped inside to see her father knelt down next to the pit in the center of the room. Her father was a ebony black demon with golden eyes. A burning fire blazed in the pit as Eacidal cooked a fish above it in a rusty old pot. Her family didn’t deserve this. Living in the dumps, going through trash, serving in jobs that would never display their full potential. Determination filled her eyes as she walked past her father, straight towards her bag and her extra tunic and pants.

“How was work?” Her father asked cheerfully, “Your mother is still at her work and I was given a day off.”

Given a day off. Few employers ever gave days off. Eacidal was going to be fired soon. Veda knew this because only people who were going to get fired got days off. The demon found the silver in her bag. The child had delivered her materials and silver well. She would have to reward the kid later. Standing up, Veda walked over to her father.

“Work was good. I got a lot.” Veda said handing the silver to her father.

His gold eyes popped open with surprise.

“The blacksmith was kind today.” Eacidal muttered, “You should be careful. That type of kindness does not come free.”

She nodded her head then went back to the straw mat she used for a bed. Plopping down on the mat, she stuffed her extra tunic and pants into the bag before her father could see.

“Dad, if you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?”

The black demon leaned back and paused for a moment before speaking.

“Well. I think I would first pay for you and your siblings to get a good education. Othame could learn to become a hunter. Elebi and Robine could learn about farming. Hevru can learn how to become a dragon trainer. And you, well I don’t know what your interested in yet but we could get you what you need when you’re ready.” He explained, “Then I’d get your mother that resteraunt she’s always wanted. And she’d cook every meal she’s ever wanted to make.”

Veda crawled off of her mat and took a seat next to her father.

“What about you?” She asked.

Eacidal looked to the fire and smiled.

“I’d take up a part-time job at the restaurant to be near your mother. But on my off-time I’d learn how to write. Once I figured out how to read and write properly, I’d finally be able to write a novel.”

His eyes held a dreamy look as he thought about the possibilities. Veda stared at the fire as her ears drooped downwards. Her father noticed this.

“But, we will get there someday chickadee.”

Get there? They’d been here for 25 years. So long and yet they barely had anything at all. Eacidal noticed his daughter’s depressed expression. Warm arms wrapped around Veda.

“It’s going to be alright.” Her father insisted, “I know things have been difficult since your siblings went off to work. But I’m so proud of you. I forget to tell you sometimes but I am proud of how hard you work. Everything thing that you do, you always put so much effort into it….As for the money, don’t worry about that. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Your mother and I will work the rest out.”

Veda felt like a little child all over again. She wrapped her arms around her dad and tucked her head under his chin. Pain grew in her heart but her smile remained. Suddenly, she pulled away and stood up with her hands on her hips.

“Well then! I will go out and hunt for treasure!” Veda insisted.

“You do that chickadee.”

He watched as his daughter walked over to her bag and swung it over her shoulder. The young demon left the little hut she called home. Knowing that she wouldn’t return for a very long time. With every step away from the shack, her smile faded a little more until she got to her alleyway. She opened a crate and crawled into it. Then she took the carefully kept letter out of her pocket. Placing the letter to the side, she closed the lid of the crate above her. Tears dropped from her eyes as soon as she curled up into a ball. Both of her hands pressed against her mouth to stop any sounds from escaping. The letter was safe on the other side of the long wooden crate. Every part of her wanted to sob out loud. To scream out her sorrow as loud as possible. But not a word or noise came out of her mouth. Crying in Vilpamolan was a dangerous act.

She had to take the job. If she failed in the trial, it would result in her forever in debt. If she succeeded, she would have to leave to follow work. Qadim might give her another job. Otherwise the demon would have to leave the city to find work. Her parents couldn’t know about it or they would try to stop her. Which meant she would have to leave. Leave without a goodbye or another word. The demon allowed herself to cry as much as possible. Getting it out before going to the tavern. Eventually, her tears dried and her face returned to normal. As though she was perfectly fine.

Crawling out of her crate, she picked up her bag and her letter. It was time. Veda walked out of the alleyway and down the street. Children and adults alike were scavenging through the garbage. Looking for something worth selling. The bright sun was past midday but not at sunset. Ignoring the rest of her surroundings, the demon focused on getting to the tavern. At the tavern she opened the door, forgetting to knock, and wandered around until she found the tavern master. The letter was sealed and in almost perfect condition. 

"Are you the tavern master?" She asked before handing the letter over. 

There was a smile and a wave when Veda made one last remark before taking off, leaving Qadim alone with Jake, leaving the pair in silence outside of the fork clanking against the plate as we parted another slice of his cake. It was Jake who broke it. "Are you sure this is a wise move?" he asked, turning to look over at the orc, "I am pretty sure Evelyn could have done the same task much more efficiently and without having to spend so much on someone from the slums." Silence again as Qadim took cake of his bite, before wiping his lips with a napkin.

"I am quite sure she can as well. However, I'd rather not waste a rook in case things go wrong. So, instead, I will send in the pawn to see if she is up to the task. After all, pawns only show real value if you put effort into them. Should they succeed, you can promote them into something stronger. If not, then you use them as a sacrifice as you further push your plans forward. Her mental fortitude and sharp eyes makes me want to see if she has the value of a knight." Of course, demanding to show the strength of a queen would be way too daunting for such a street stain.

"Now then, summon Celeste to my side. I wish to give her a research job…"

~~~

The mid-afternoon hours were hardly busy with customers within the port tavern, outside of prepping for the night traffic and accommodating those who had pulled into the ship yard. Still, hearing the door open randomly were such a common occurrence that no one even bothered an eye until one of them was addressed. "Aye," the man stated as he turned about. "Any reason why ye' need me instead of the lady behind the counter?" That's when his eyes caught the letter and the seal that embroidered it. There was no restraint in his effort to tear the letter from her fingers before digging his finger under the letter's fold and passing it under the wax seal, unfolding the top open with his thumb and the bottom with a quick shake in a single motion. His eyes darted back and forth across the sheet before eying the lady before her. "Ye' know, if you were ten minutes earlier, I would have called ye' a stinkin' liar… And yet, someone else came in with something similar. Yer' lucky, little lady. CHARLENE!" The lady behind the counter's head perked up all of a sudden. "Get this lady a key to 315 and lead her over there. AND BE SURE TO KNOCK THIS TIME BEFORE YE' BARGE IN!"

"Y-Yes, sir!" Frantically, the woman scurried to grab a key from the board behind her before leaping over the counter and over to Veda's side. There, she offered a hand to help with any of her carry-ons before leading her up two flights of stairs, down to a corner of the hallway. There was a quick knock on the door before she used the key to open it up, revealing the room to be much more decorated and luxurious than most others with a window's view facing the ocean below. Two beds resided within the room as a man, who sat at the table, turned his attention upwards and towards the door.

"You must be Veda," he stated, low toned as he rested his quill back into the ink. "And here I thought I had more time to work on the study guide before your arrival. I am Robin, but for the next week, you will call me, Professor. I have been told that I can be as strict as I wish for this hasty lecture and that if I feel like you are lacking behind too much or cause too much issues, I can end your dealings with Qadim right here and now. Do I make myself clear?"