Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (cont'd)

(Lemme know if this is too far a skip for you!)

It was about three weeks before Aleth was cleared to leave the infirmary for extended periods. Sera had watched him like a hawk the whole time--she made the fair and accurate excuse that she needed to monitor his condition.
The day Sera delivered this news to him, Gaius arrived in the infirmary.
"Feeling well enough for a tour?" he asked when they had exchanged greetings. He wasn't usually one to give tours of his Keep, but it seemed the safest way to observe this fellow for himself. Besides, he didn't have to show Al the entire Keep.

(Sounds perfect to me!)

Aleth had had ample time to mourn the loss of his toes and curse the bastard that was to blame for it. And time to rest. Even with getting baby sat by Sera, he found his recovery restful. And now he was ready to get to work.

The fact that he was personally getting a tour from the lord of the keep meant that Ash found him suspect. He’d need to be careful. But it also gave him the chance to try out his new persona. “Yes, sir!”

Gaius dipped his head and motioned to the door. "After you, then." It was a good day to do this; his leg wasn't feeling as bad as it usually did and he'd had a better breakfast than usual, so it was imperative he get this done today rather than put it off. "You'll have to forgive me if I lag behind--I'm not known for my quick step." Best to make hin feel unthreatened.

“Of course!” Aleth put his hands together and bowed slightly. “I am happy with whatever pace his lordship chooses.”

Gaius nodded again and stepped out into the considerably cooler air of the hallway. Some of the newer Keeps had vents that carried warm air up through the walls from the basement where great fires were stoked twenty-four hours a day, but Serpent Keep had yet to make any such innovations. It was an old Keep, and so long as Gaius was its master it would remain the way it was now.

Aleth cautiously stepped forward, still not quite confident on his maimed foot. “Thank you again for your hospitality. I am indebted to your lordship.”

"There is no debt to be paid," Gaius replied with a wave of his good hand. "I ask nothing of those who have little to give." He limped down the hall, eyes darting from hall to hall as he went through potentially harmless places to show his guest. "May I ask what you heard about me that makes you wish to serve under me?"

“I heard what you just said,” Aleth answered. “That you take pity on us unfortunates and generously extend aid to those in need.”

"That's all?" Gaius raised an eyebrow. "I have that reputation, certainly, but what does that have to do with my integrity as an employer?"

“If you were a cruel employer, you’d take us as slaves of your own or sell us back,” Aleth answered. “And I’ve heard your staff tend to stay with you quite a long time, such as Miss Sera.”

"Sera is a special case," Gaius replied. "The others stay because I pay them well and I trust them. When they can no longer work, I hire their children. This is a very tight-knit Keep, and I intend to keep it that way."

Well, that wasn’t promising.

“An admirable model no doubt,” Aleth answered. “But no new blood? Ever?”

"Very rarely. I've had little reason to make replacements just yet; I only took the title of Lord thirteen years ago. Perhaps if someone fails to produce an heir or simply wishes their children to have a different life I will find a new servant, but until then I'm quite content with my staff." Gaius paused at a long hallway leading to the left. "This is one of the sleeping wings; I house guests here."

Aleth’s mind was searching for an angle he could take. He wasn’t expecting this to just fall into his lap, but Ash wasn’t leaving him with much of an option for bargaining. “Do you have guests often?”

"No, I do not." Gaius moved on. "Especially not now." Nor would he ever, if he had his way. Guests were a hassle for everyone, from the smallest scullery maid to the Lord himself. It threw the order of the Keep into disarray and left Gaius wide awake in bed, waiting for someone to slip through the door and murder him cold.

(I gotta sleep now. Goodnight!)