73. Clearance (Patreon)

To say that her feather danced across the parchment would be an overstatement. Even though her dreams of ink monopoly had died as quickly as they spawned, Aloe still had some ink pots that someone had to use. Aloe Veritas ink was practically indistinguishable from normal ink, the main difference being that the vegetal ink was blue rather than black, but it was a hue so dark that under certain lighting it was indistinguishable from the true deal.

Aloe was happy with how things were going. Work was tedious, but it wasn’t as exhausting as before. The plague had basically been eradicated by now thanks to the quarantine imposed by the emirate, meaning there were fewer logistic headaches for her.

It pained her a bit to think of her mother’s killer as a nuisance, but she was mostly desensitized by now. She knew death loomed on the horizon, but she hadn’t seen it personally, so it was hard for her to assimilate it.

Thanks to her and her supporting scribes' combined efforts, the department of the scribe of commoners didn’t have much work on their hands.

“I guess this is what a normal day in my position feels like,” Aloe commented offhand, her focus on the paper. It was the only one of the day, she had tied any other unfinished business beforehand. It surprised her greatly how ruthlessly efficient she was with scribe work, her mother seemed always pressed for time. “Maybe I am better than her.”

“Did you say something?” Lulu stopped dusting the scroll shelves to look at her.

“Ugh, nothing.” Aloe groaned. “Antics of mine. I’m too used to talking alone.”

“You mentioned that before.”

“I surely did.” The scribe left her feather on the ink flask and rubbed her eyes. “Incredible how in a single month I have developed a knack that I may not get rid of for my entire life.”

“Knacks tend to be like that.” The maid dotted a smile on her face whilst she dusted graciously the shelves.

Aloe rolled her eyes, refusing to entertain more Lulu with her suffering. “Talking about this, I just remembered that I should talk to Rani about getting to the greenhouse before-“

The door to her office swung wide open, cutting her sentence.

“Did someone mention my name?” The intruder was none other than the emir.

The faces of both the scribe and the maid instantly became solemn upon registering the sultanzade’s presence. Aloe forced a smile, whilst Lulu faded into the background. A shadow of what she usually was.

“I did that, yes,” Aloe explained diplomatically. “Would you care for a tea?” She pointed with her open hand at the teapot and then at the unoccupied chair in front of her desk.

“I don’t think so, I was just passing by and suddenly heard my name, so I thought of making an appearance. I have a good ear, you see.”

“I wouldn’t doubt that.” Aloe smiled with the veracity of pyrite.

“Anyhow,” Rani approached her desk, her body swaying around in such an exaggerated fashion that could only be manufactured. “What did you want from me?”

The emir’s eyes flared purple. There was something about the woman that impeded Aloe looking away from her, and it wasn’t the curves. Though that did contribute.

“I...” She had mentalized herself, but no matter how much willpower she gathered, the scribe always found herself faltering in the sultanzade’s presence. “I would like to visit my greenhouse before we depart to Asina in a few weeks. If you would be so kind.”

“A vacation? Only a few days after beginning work?” Rani squinted at her, her mouth contorting into her typical djinnish smile.

If she wouldn’t have interacted with the emir before, Aloe would have lost her cool. What she had just said was the stuff that got people fired. But she now knew better. It was crystal clear that Rani was messing with her. That didn’t mean she would give her permission, though.

“More like a welfare check,” Aloe explained calmly. “There are a lot of plants in the greenhouse. Although I have readied the place to last a while without human attention, I’d prefer to check on my plants before we have to leave the emirate.”

“I see, I see...” Rani closed her eyes, deep in thought.

The sultanzade purred like a cat as she meditated, but instead of cute, it came out as salacious. Aloe almost blushed as Rani continued to make the suggestive sounds. Before working at the palace, she believed her masks were unbreakable, yet the emir always found a way to dent them with ease.

“Lulu?” Rani asked out of nowhere.

The maid jumped upon hearing her name being called out. The gesture was accompanied by a dry yelp.

“Yes, my Emir?” Lulu asked cautiously, furiously trying to return to the background as if she were just another piece of furniture.

“How would you rate the scribe of commoner’s work? Aloe, not the position.” Rani turned to face the maid. And if before she wanted to disappear, now Lulu was melting.

“I... uhm...” Aloe knew Lulu was weak to Rani – everyone in the palace was – but she hadn’t noticed it affected her this badly. “I-I believe Scribe Aloe is doing a great job!” Her voice came out a pitch too high.

“Details, Lulu. Details.” Rani locked gazes with Lulu, the maid was of course incapable of unlatching hers. “I need more details.”

“Well...” She paused for a moment to search for the words. “I am not exactly qualified to judge a scribe’s job, but Scribe Aloe is quite effective and efficient. Not only did she quickly put to work her subordinate scribe, but she worked in tandem with them in harmony. That is not something I would expect from a newbie like I heard she was. She has been so effective, in fact, that she does not have any more work to do.”

A good master would break a tear upon hearing such heartwarming words coming from their maid. Aloe, on the other hand... You moron! She was mentally pulling her hair. Why had you to say that? She’ll now dump more work on me! Aarghhhhh!

Let’s say she didn’t enjoy the prospect.

“That’s quite interesting to hear...” Rani caressed her cheeks, vaguely hiding the contours of her mouth. Her eyes focused on Aloe.

She knows. The scribe wanted to sigh but did her best to hold off the urge. She knows I have underperformed in purpose to do less job. It wasn’t like she hid it, she did do her job; but as the sultanzade’s gaze scried her, it became apparent she had discovered that Aloe was slowing her pace to shove as much work as possible away from her. The emir didn’t comment on it, in a way, she seemed amused by the idea with that look of hers.

“I might need to revise the scribe’s workloads, especially whilst I am still searching for a new noble scribe, but your opinion on Aloe’s work is quite interesting, Lulu.”

Rani was unreadable. Sometimes Aloe managed to get a snippet into the woman’s mind, but most of the time, she was an impenetrable fortress. Most people were, but there was always a backdoor to be exploited. Aloe wished to find Rani’s, then again, the sultanzade had already hers.

“How about the own scribe’s opinion?” The emir turned to face her. “How would you grade your new job so far, Aloe?”

This is a trap. Aloe didn’t know where the trap was or what it was, but she knew there was one. She may not be the best herbalist out there – if she could even be considered that – but she could recognize a poisonous flower when she saw one.

“This is my first job, so I may not give the most educated opinion,” Aloe stated humbly. Always undermine yourself before people of power. Her father had said that once.

“No matter,” Rani responded. “Just say whatever you feel like.”

This is not a trap. The scribe realized. This is a nince-damned execution!

“I...” Dunes. She thought she had her stutter under control, but Rani always got the best of her. “Considering the jobs of both my parents and my own education, there has been enough overlap that I have not found myself in any difficulties. I would not dare to say I am good enough to have gone through a ride without bumps, but I have accommodated myself well to the position.” Something more, appeal to her power. “The luxuries provided by the palace have been superb and helpful on the procedure.”

“Hmm~” Rani grunted melodiously in affirmation. Or so Aloe would like to believe.

The sultanzade approached her desk, her steps were silent yet potent. The scribe’s heart almost jumped out of her chest. Aloe didn’t know if to close her eyes, waiting for a possible strike, or keep looking.

The sways of... her trinkets forced her to keep looking.

“Is this the handmade vegetal ink I have heard about?” Rani asked out of nowhere.

“Ehm... yes?” Aloe responded with uncertainty, too stunned by the sultanzade’s actions to react appropriately.

Following the impromptu pattern, the emir extended her finger and put it inside the ink flask. Aloe was too confused to comment on it. The next action didn’t help with that.

Rani soaked her finger on the flask thoroughly, circling around the round opening slowly. It was a simple motion, but Aloe couldn’t deny there was something... sexual about it as the finger rocked up and down into the flask.

Then the emir put her ink-soaked finger on the mouth.

Aloe skipped a heartbeat at the image.

She wrapped her pink tongue around the digit and drank greedily, her throat heaving up and down in a swallowing motion.

Aloe skipped more than a heartbeat at the image.

“Hmm...” Rani grunted looking dissatisfied. “When I heard about vegetal ink, I thought it could be a good ingredient, but I would not put this on any plate.” The emir said as if her whole salacious charade hadn’t happened.

“Uh...” Aloe didn’t know what to say. She was truly and utterly at a loss of words.

The sultanzade left her desk and walked toward the office’s door, and as her hand lay on the doorknob, she talked again.

“Three days, next week.” And then left the room.

Aloe puffed all the air out of her lungs once the emir’s steps no longer could be heard. She had held her breath since the woman had put her finger on the flask. Even in her astonishment, she had understood her departing message.

She had gotten the clearance. However, she didn’t know how to feel about it...