The morning’s sun sat behind the clouds as Lynda adjusted the paper folder under one arm as she wandered the city’s cobbled streets. The giant did her best to ignore the glares burning her back she searched the store fronts for a little cardboard plaque, proclaiming their need for workers. 

Her dark eyes caught simple writing scrawled on a piece of paper and pinned to the outside of the door-frame of a tobacconist shop; with confidence she could fill a shop assistant's role Lynda, hope building, moved to the door.

“Oi!” A voice broke her concentration as she turned, and noted several others, whom all wore the same pensive looks of those that had grown tired of worry. Her eyes cast down at the man’s hands, which held the same sort of papers as her own. “Yeah, so get in bloody line.”

There was a general mumble of agreement from the line, which was met with Lynda’s own contrition.

“Sorry, sorry!” She said, with genuine contrition, as she moved further and further down the line until she managed to get to the back of it. There were more than half a dozen in front of her, and soon the same behind, all hoping for the chance with an odd mix of of origins and classes thrown in. Lynda’s eyes cast fore and aft, and she noted she was not the only divergent person there; an ape like man with a hunched back had trudged behind her, with arms down to his knees, while a rounded woman with white feathers erupting from around her high collar, cuffs and between the gaps of taunt buttons behind him. It made the giant, in her mismatched garb, feel more legitimate among such company.

The line was silent as they watched those that left the store either bouncing with a spring in their step or just exhausted as they trudged into the city. It took so long for the giant to shuffle to the front Lynda was entirely expecting the store to have closed for the day. 

“Next applicant, please.” A reedy voice crept from the store as Lynda gulped down her nerves, plastered on a smile, and ducked through the door with the chime of the bell.

The smell of smoking spices from around the world slammed into her senses; the crisp Osthiemian blue pipe tobacco battled against the fruity Golden Red leaf while weaving through Crytal Dust’s odd null odour. All of these flavours combined under the overpowering local Black Wild Flower into a stench that nearly knocked the giant to the ground. Still, taking a moment to take a breath of fresh-ish air, she tried to move in with confidence.

Unfortunately the bell above the shop’s door, which had jangled so merrily upon her arrival, was soon silenced as it had caught onto the giant’s hair. Cursing under her breath, she did her best to quickly untangle her matte black locks from the gold metal work, but found her efforts did little as footsteps from inside the store drew her attention forward.

“Good mor-” The store owner slipped from the back room, wiping his crumb encrusted moustache with a cloth, but as he looked up from behind his counter the old gentleman almost froze as the light from outside the door was dimmed by the silhouette of a giant pressing through, with her long and monstrous hair wrapping around the the door chime like serpents.

“Good morning sir.” Lynda said, trying her best to sound cheery as she redoubled her efforts to free her long hair. “I'm here about the job in the window.” Lynda said, hoping that a pleasant and keen voice might override this initial issue of an introduction.

The shopkeeper just balked at the situation before him, finding it difficult to muster more than a inarticulate noise of beggared belief. Lynda pulled away, at last, leaving only a hair or two behind, and stepped through into the comparatively dim interior. She cleared her throat, her familiar dark grey blush rolling onto her cheeks. “I’m recently returned from college; I’m quite good with numbers, and my hand writing is also fair so I was hoping I might find some small employment here?”

The storekeeper stared for a moment as the room’s natural light reasserted itself and allowed him to see her unencumbered by the shadows from the light outside. In his mind, this did not improve things. 

Lynda’s smile faltered a little, lifting a hand and giving him a gentle wave as if to try and draw his attention back from where-ever it had slipped to. “Sir?”

“...S’gone.” The storeowner muttered through his moustache, sounding almost unintelligible as he blinked a few times.

“Pardon, sir? Gone?” Lynda asked, taking a quick glance around the room and noting the distinct lack of an assistant. Even the hook on the wall where the assistant’s apron was hanging had a thin layer of dust across the top of it.

“Yes…No, not Gone. But...” The shop-keep muttered again while he ummed and erred, unable to quite take his eyes off the Lynda nor take the discomfort from his features. Lynda waited to see if any more was forthcoming, and when it was obvious it wouldn’t be she cleared her throat and pulled her hair behind her ear to keep the unbound locks out of her way…which proved to be something of a mistake as it simply showed off the subtle point to them which reset the timer on the store-owner’s disquiet.

“Well, sir, if I may present to you my recommendations?” She laid out her papers on the counter, trying to remain upbeat and cheerful. “As you can see here, I’m a hard worker, I take my jobs and chores seriously, and have considerable strength as well as being quite bright. I’m literate and numerate and I think the only thing I can’t do is read a map properly.” She chortled at her own exaggeration, though it was obviously tinged with nerves.

The pages were, somewhat reluctantly, scrawled notes from teachers from the college that admitted she had been a good student; filling them with backhanded compliments about how, for one of her kind, she shown an exemplary willingness to put in the effort. The only truly kind words were from a librarian who said she had always helped stacking the high shelves for them. It had stung somewhat that the only actual positive word were from someone who had something to gain.

The door-chime jangled again, with a few yells of annoyance from outside that were silenced with a slam. Lynda turned to note someone carrying a small folder under one arm; the young man had a slightly more expensive look to him, his clothes were quite fine compared to the smart but hardy work clothes of the tobacconist or the modified dress of Lynda’s.

“Hello s’r.” The tobacconist said, regaining a modicum of composure.

“Yes, hello.” The young man said with a slightly cool disaffection as if he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings. “I’m here about work.”

“Oh.” He said, looking to Lynda and back again. “Well, I’m just…”

“Yes, yes, here.” He tossed the folder onto the counter. It was an expensive looking folder, but seemed rather light and empty. Lynda cast a curious eye as she caught her own papers as they were disturbed by the young man.

“Excuse me, sir, but I was-” Lynda was cut off by a hand being lifted to her, in a sharp and dismissive gesture that meant only one thing; he did not engage with her sort.

Lynda held her tongue as the solitary piece of paper was drawn from the folder and the shop-owner looked over it. It had a singular paragraph and was written more like a note of instruction rather than any recommendation stamped with a small disk of wax.

“So…Why’d you wish to come work for me, young s’r?” The shopkeep asked.

“Because you need an assistant, and the work looks light…And according to my father I require some time in position in order to enter the guild. Besides, I heard your daughter was quite passable…” There was a glance at Lynda. “…It isn’t this creature, is it?”

“I beg your…” Lynda began but was cut off.

“No, s’r; my daughter’s out back. She’s just packagin’ some of our produce.”

“Oh. Working, is she?” The carefree and board tone continued from the young man. “I guess that’ll be acceptable.”

Lynda couldn’t help but feel somewhat applauded by the situation, feeling as if she had been written into the background of her own life. She did her best to hide her frustration but it didn’t carry over well.

“I’m sorry to be rude, sir, but-”

“Yet you insist on it anyway.” The young man said, not looking at her. “I thought I told you to be quiet and go.”

“Well, actually, you just held a hand up to me.” Lynda said, knowing full well what he meant.

“Then you’re as stupid as you look.” He continued, turning away from her once more. Lynda took a breath.

“I was currently trying to discuss my potential of occupation, here, when you came in, sir.” She chose her words carefully. “I had waited for several hours and you were not in the line behind me.”

“So?” The young man huffed in frustration as he rolled his hands into his pockets.

“And I was hoping to finish conducting the interview.” Lynda replied, doing her best to keep as even and calm as possible.

“You?” The young man finally turned to her, with a snide snarl etched onto his lips. “Why would he want to employ a pathetic waif like yourself?”

“Well, for a start I’m very qualified for accounting, book keeping, letter writing, lifting and carrying.” She said, rolling her qualifications quite casually. “Secondly I think I’m quite far from waif like…”

The tobacconist gave off a small cough to draw their attention to him. Both turned to him, and though in the case of the young snob in merchant’s garb it was less turning to the shop owner and more turning away from a disobedient guttersnipe.

“I’m afraid, miss, that I feel y’ur not suit’d to this line o’ work.” He said, before lifting an arm to the door. Lynda went to open her mouth to protest but now joining the tobacconist was the would-be guilds-man who, with a flourish, pointed at the door for her to leave.

Lynda let out a small noise of disappointment but nodded almost in surrender.

“Thank-you for your time, sir.” She said to the store owner in a shrunken voice before ducking out of the shop and carrying on her way, being very careful to not catch herself again on the way out.

As she stepped away with a defeated hunch, she heard behind her that the position had been filled, much to the anger, frustration and disappointment to the others behind her in line.

Her route continued onwards to the next help wanted sign as it sat on the inside of glass that was covered in iron bars. Taking a moment only to read the note, Lynda ducked into the jewellers and stood up, though being careful not only of the bell but also of the dangling chandelier in the centre of the room. Her eyes traced the inside, taking stock of much of the fine gold and silver work that lined the room and noting how she couldn’t afford any of it, before looking for a counter to approach. Even though this only took a brief moment, the giant’s entrance had not gone unnoticed.

“What are you doing in here?” The clerk behind the counter demanded, her back stiffening noticeably.

“There was a sign in the window.” Lynda replied with a somewhat dim expression, pointing over her shoulder as she’d been taken aback by the tone. Shaking her head she moved further in and regained some of her sense as she approached the counter worker. “It said you needed a counterworker who can read, write and count. I’m able to do all three; I’ve also been classically trained by the Academy.”

“...I see.” The ice that dripped from the counter-girl’s words didn’t slip past Lynda without regard, but still she pressed on.

“I have a list of my references here, from the college I attended and from some people I worked with when I was younger as well as general character references...” Lynda began, laying the pages from her paper bundle on the counter before the woman, who only seemed sneer at them as if they were somehow filthy.

“Yes, yes, but you see we would be unable to employ someone of your...” The counter woman faltered, before a sharp grin asserted itself upon her lips. “...particular statue, I’m afraid.” The counter woman said, moving the references away with a tentative finger and back towards Lynda. Lynda tilted her head a little, confused. “It’s...your hands; they’re unsuited to the delicate and small work that would be required. Frankly…they’re huge.”

Lynda turned a hand over to look at them; as with the rest of her they had a sturdy, though feminine, look with long fingers. They were also much larger than anyone else’s; scaled to match the rest of her giant physique. “As you can see...” The Counter Woman began. “They, and thus you, would be unable to perform the more intricate tasks that we may need you to do from time to time. Perhaps you should consider something less...” The counter woman trailed off, her words loosing focus as she indicated Lynda’s frame.

“I’m not denying my difference in size but I’m sure how that applies to counting, taking notes and selling jewellery.” Lynda said, looking from her hands to the woman behind the counter.

“Well, you see, we were advertising for someone to become an apprentice jeweller.” The woman shrugged towards the giant.

“That’s not what the sign said.” Lynda tried.

“Well that’s hardly my fault; I’ll have to take it down and rewrite it. It’s a blessing really, I’ve been trying to tell the manager that we don’t really need any more staff at this point in time.”

“Is the manager in?” Lynda asked, her voice rising in hope.

“No.” The counter woman said.

There was a brief pause, before Lynda took up her papers and turned to leave, adding a solemn nod of understanding in her wake. She reached for the door handle, shoulders slumped and eyes downcast as the counter woman’s voice spoke up. “Wait a moment...”

Lynda turned back, hope renewed in her. The counter woman just folded her arms and shot Lynda a stern look. “I’m going to need you to empty your pockets to make sure you didn’t take any store property while you were here.”

“...You can’t be serious.” Lynda started. “You said my hands were too big to do anything delicate but now you think I was able to sneak something away? How is that even...” Lynda was cut off as the counter woman snapped her fingers and a rather unfriendly man stepped from the backroom, rolling up his sleeves.

“I’m sorry, but we have to conduct these random searches from time to time. If you resist, I can call the Peacekeepers if you’d like.”

If she could have, Lynda would have paled at the shorter, but menacing security guard. In the end, Lynda didn’t resist. The embarrassment and invasion of her privacy was a steep price but one that allowed her to not be placed in the hands of the Peacekeepers again.

The search took some time, and found nothing. Still Lynda took her leave as soon as she was able so that she could move away from such humiliation. Still, humiliation or no, she would have to get a job and though it was taking some time she would not give up.

[To be continued]