Getting your hands dirty

The next day of work began frantically. Your boss had warned you it would be busy as preparations for an expedition began, but she gave no further explanation before you two had parted ways. Resultingly, you came in unprepared for the sight of all manner of supplies being moved around and staged. It was a daunting sight, but also exciting. You would quickly pay the price for your curiosity, as you looked over tools that you had never seen before. A loud, angry voice pulled your attention.

"You, orc!" You turned swiftly to see a haggard, burly overseer of a man staring at you. It was never good being called just 'orc', but you bit your tongue "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was just looking. I'm part of this expidition"

"So you're the one walking around here the other day. Well, you don't get paid for gawking. Pull your weight, now!"

Fearful that you had broken some sort of unexplained rule, you move with a hurry in the direction that man pointed. Seeing an orc in the midst moving supplies, the other workers were willing to include you in the mix, in their own way. Heavy sacks of grain and other food stuffs were being tossed your way to put in appropriate places. Boxes full of who knows what were delegated to you. It was sweat inducing work, the type that you hadn't experienced since being on your fathers farm. You had lost track of the time by the time you had something of a rhythm going on, and you heard another shout that brought the entire production line to a halt.

"What the fuck is going on!" It was Fracila, her hair pulled back, and dressed in more informal attire. The elf's severe face exaggerated her anger well. "Nobody is touching another box or sack until I start getting answers!"

"Miss Fracila, what seems to be the problem?" The Overseer stepped forward, seemingly a changed man instantly compared to the tone he gave with you.

"What is _she _doing here?" She points directly at you, causing you to have some anxiety and fear. Had you missed something? Were you already at risk of getting fired.

"The orc? She said she was part of the expedition"

"I know that. Why is she here? Why is your men giving her the heaviest loads to move? Why are you treating my newest researcher like a pack mule?"

Terror ran through the overseer's face, and surprise washed over the other workers. It slowly dawns on you that they had no idea who you were, and once again made the crass assumption based on your orc blood.

"You mean, she's"

"Yes" Fracila loudly proclaimed "Herida Pelips here graduated with distinction from D'arcans highest academy. Her magical acumen is matched only by her interest in historical and archeological research. Bringing her with us to the border with Stoneheart will provide an invaluable expertise and knowledge."

"Yes, ma'am. Of course." The Overseer seemed dreadfully concerned. Wizards aren't just revered for their knowledge and capabilities here in D'arcan like they are through most of the rest of the world. There's a social order, with you being among the aristocracy. You moved forward and tried to smooth over the situation.

"Miss Fracila. It's okay, really. I'm sure he didn't mean any disrespect to you, or to me. There was just a break down in communication, a couple of different ways. Besides, I could use the exercise."

The stern elf was silent for a moment, eyeing you both "Point taken. Still, you're here for your brains Herida, not your considerable brawn. The rest of you, get back to work."

The rest of the crew scurried back to productivity. Fracila walked back the way she came, after motioning for you to follow.

"I appreciate your sentiment" Fracila spoke once out of earshot of the others "But you're putting me in a difficult position."

"You said there was no separation between the boss and the workers. I was trying to help."

"Herida, please don't." She spoke softly, guardedly "I'm sure that's what you are telling yourself now after the fact. You know as well as I do that they roped you into that without asking. They assumed you were just another grunt because you're an orc."

"I'm used to it." You let out an angry sigh "I wouldn't have gotten here had I not developed thick skin"

"Well, as lovely as your skin is Herida, that needs to start coming with a spine. Stand up for yourself, please. You're a beautiful, remarkable lady, and you got all the potential in the world, but not if you let others walk over you."

"I understand, and thank you." You nodded gently. Her advice was a noticeable difference from your previous guidance, which was to keep your head down and keep quiet, fearing outbursts or any perceived misbehavior would get you drummed out. Here, in the real world, it's a different story.

"Good girl" A smile finally breaks through "Now, let's get after it. We've still got our own work to do, and this should be pretty exciting." She moved off back into the building, unaware that you hadn't moved. A small part of your brain was processing what she had said.

She called you beautiful. There's a set of words you hadn't heard before. Between that and the awkward conversation you had with her yesterday, gauging things was difficult. If your boss was already having feelings for you, than that might make this whole thing very complicated.