Welcome

Monday Story.

The abbot cringed, while Stone the Jack watched him closely, the gaunt face in the grey flat light from behind him through the creamy papery walls.

"I've never been abbot before, this is my first week. And you offer me a bribe of a rare tea brick in exchange for, what was it?" Nearly a whine, but not quite. The boney shoulders hunched.

"The cell at the end, on the top," she explained, weighing the heavy cloth wrapped package in her palm, watching his eyes bob with it.

Abbot pursed his thin lips, and examined the hard, serious woman in front of him, from behind the ancient, heavily scrolled desk. Nervously, he nudged his pewter, as though tempted to ignore her completely and read his mail, do some research, play sudoku, anything but deal with her. Then, as though remembering a long forgotten joke, he laughed.

"Ha! Ah, well, this isn't a bribe at all, is it?" He sat back, smoothing the black wool of his new robe over his birdcage chest, grinning at her impassive face. "A test, I've heard of the Program throwing up that assignment." He shouted to his left, out the door, calling in the shorter abbots, who sauntered in, along with a few nosy visitors. "Come in, come in. I accuse this newcomer of offering a bribe to the Annual Abbot in exchange for consideration. An assignment, I believe, please see if this is her task."

Stone nodded, her expression softened a shade, and the abbot sighed. The weekly and lunar abbots chimed in together as they fingered their pewters, yes, just a test. A happy babble of amazement as the two, and their entourage, shuffled out. to spread the gossip. Murmurs of, never heard of this before, oh, I have, really, yeah, my dad told me, and so on.

"Sorry, Copper the Abbot. It really is a tea brick, and I'll be glad to make us some tea." Stone shook her sweating hands. "I'm not very good at this."

"Oh, no, no, quite necessary. I actually felt the temptation, very long time since I've had really good tea, good to know where my weaknesses are, oh yes." He rubbed his face so hard Stone looked away, embarrassed. "Second from the north end, second floor, your neighbor to the end is Lens, a winter night guard, he'll be in from the Spiral sometime this month." He had given in, opened his pewter, and, reading her file, fast eyes wide, he muttered under his breath. "Hinge the Dogger's bio-sister, he helping you?" A glance up, eyebrows raised.

"Hinge is my friend, more. Wants me here for his wedding, figured it's time for me to settle, enough traveling, the place could use a Jack... " She trailed off, lifted her face, feeling guilty, at this bile tasting duty.

Too many explanations, the abbot noted. Biting her lips to stop adding more. He waved his hand to indicate passing pain, "Well, welcome. You have winter on Hinge's food. Ever cared for ducks or geese?"

"And turkey, sure. Brought hot pepper seeds, if there's room in any greenhouses." A lighter tone, bright and helpful, as she stood and pocketed the brick, breathing audibly, busying herself.

"The whole center of the place, anywhere on the walkways, even on the roof if it classes as medicinal. Molasses the Chemical, at the Heap will give you enough soil, Oroboros the Foodie on the ground will show you around the Pottage." Copper the Abbot's voice increasingly took on a brittle tone, his face reddened, until he stopped, and swiveled away his chair with a squeak. Stone left quietly, sliding the door firmly behind her, catching a harsh sob out of the corner of her ear, as she looked over the green of the glass covered Pottage.

The weekly abbot stood a stones throw down the walk. Stone looked at the impossibly young face, gave her a look that beat off comment, and barged past to find the new cell.

Welcome, fishgut welcome. Wrongfooted already, again.