After minutes of racking her brain, all she could come up with was: “random gifts; sentimental, not practical”, “a romantic picnic”, and “flowers”. But all women liked gifts, food, and flowers. What would specifically seduce her?
It was a tad devastating to realize that she had no idea what she liked. Essentially, that she didn’t know who she was as a woman. So, she decided to write anything that came to mind and trim the list later.
“A romantic walk”, “being read to in the evening”, “being kissed good morning and good night”, “being given a bath”. At least two of those felt a bit childish, but she refrained from judging herself too harshly. She added a few more, then copied the list onto a clean piece of paper and folded it.
This was a good thing, Beth thought. It was like a game, but a fun, healthy one that could hopefully make them fall in love with each other. She wondered what Uthar liked and how he could be seduced. She promised herself she would be kinder from now on, more flexible and understanding, less prickly. He’d asked, and that mattered a lot.
Not all was lost.
Chapter Seven
Beth had to keep busy with something. A few days had passed since she’d given Uthar the list, and so far, he hadn’t surprised her with anything. Well, he had brought some wildflowers at home the other night, but he hadn’t exactly given them to her. He’d more or less abandoned them on the kitchen table, where she was texting with Abby, then disappeared into the bathroom. Beth wondered if the list should’ve been accompanied by more detailed instructions.
Early morning, she went to the diner, and one of the cooks made her fried eggs. She ate them hastily, then asked him to point her to the buildings the horde didn’t use.
“We do use them,” Krib said. He was a stocky orc with short legs and short, hairy arms. Wide rather than tall, Beth could appreciate that she didn’t have to break her neck to look into his eyes. “We store things in them.”
“What things?”
“The furniture we build. We store it there until we sell it at the fair. Materials for the furniture, for clothes... We store tools, weapons, and a lot of preserved foods.”
“Is it okay if I check these buildings out?”
He shrugged. “The captain said you are free to do whatever you please.”
She thanked him and was on her way. There was a whole street where there were only blocks of flats, and she picked one and checked the apartments on the ground floor. She found bags of flour and rice, and a bunch of jars filled with pickles and vegetables and meats preserved in ways she hadn’t thought possible. She climbed the stairs to the first floor, and she found dried fruits there. A lot of them. But starting with the third floor, the apartments had been left untouched. No one had cleaned them or moved things around since the human inhabitants had abandoned them. Orcs truly didn’t trust higher floors. Or maybe they just didn’t like them. Beth guessed they probably liked being closer to the earth.
She went from one apartment to another, from one room to another. The humans who’d lived here years ago had left clothes behind. Personal belongings, pictures, toys, books... She could lose herself in their memories for hours, which was what she did, since there was nothing better she could do with her time.
She found boxes, and she opened them. Sitting on dusty floors, she looked through photo albums, wondering if those people were still alive. The war had ended a long time ago. She found cards and letters, and leafed through books and picked a few she wanted to read. It was sad that the people who’d lived here had never returned for their things.
She rummaged through wardrobes and drawers, and found clothes she liked. They had packed in a rush and left a lot of things behind. Good things that only needed a wash.
On the fourth floor, she found a nursery filled with toys, children’s books, and coloring books. She gathered a bunch of crayons and put them in a box. She might as well get a new hobby since she had so much time on her hands.
She heard steps out on the corridor, and she stilled, barely breathing, listening. Of course, it could only be one of the orcs. Maybe it was Uthar, looking for her. He always left their bed before dawn and returned to check up on her two or three times before dinner. It must’ve been Uthar, so she relaxed and continued leafing through a coloring book with bees and butterflies.
“You!”
The shrill voice made Beth’s heart jump. She pressed a hand to her chest and turned to face Kinna the Mage. What had she done now to deserve her wrath?
“Hi. I was just... looking around. The captain said it was okay.”
“What? I don’t care what you do.”
“Then why are you here?”
“Because of this!”
She threw something at Beth. It was a small object, round, and it caught the light coming in through the windows as it arched in the air. Then it fell at her feet. It was a bracelet.
“I don’t understand.”
“Oh, I’m sure you do.” Kinna sneered. “I don’t like to be taken for a fool.”
Beth bent down and picked the bracelet. It seemed to be made from massive gold. She cringed when she realized the mage could’ve hit her with it in the face, and it would’ve left a bruise. It was thick and heavy.
“Kinna, I promise you,” she sighed. “I don’t know what this is.”