14.Mar.12, 09:13 AM
When Jada had become aware of the reinstatement of whipping as a method of punishment, she hadn't quite realized what it was going to be like. Her father had strapped her and her siblings when they were naughty, of course, so some part of her mind had chosen to label "lashing" and "strapping" as the same thing. It had not taken long to disabuse her of the notion, nor to realize that this was quite possibly the largest gathering of Katilan residents that she'd yet seen. Not a surprise, she supposed. This was going to be the way things were done 'in extreme cases', and she needed to see it firsthand.
Her first clue was in watching the man who held the whip. She wasn't the people-reader some of her peers were, but it wasn't too hard to gauge the way he twisted the object in his hands, nor the way he looked at B'jin. Jada felt her face pale, and stuck her chin up, trying to peer around through the crowd at who had come to watch. Being of 'fair to middling' height it wasn't as hard as she was expecting. She recognized a few of her fellow Candidates, a few Riders, and of course the people on stage. She saw people who seemed pleased by what was happening here, and people who did not.
Personally, Jada liked B'jin. She only knew him 'professionally' as it were, with the greenrider spending much of his time with the children, just like herself. She'd been stolen around half a turn ago, in late spring, and was still getting to learn everyone. She only knew the many rumors of why he was getting lashed, hadn't heard anything from his own mouth. They were acquaintances, not friends. It wasn't for support that she was in the crowd.
It would be starting soon, she could tell that much from the tableau. Everyone was taking their places. Squeezing Indivara's hand, Jada moved through the crowd, to get a position where the other girl could 'see' and taking a place behind her. A decision she regretted as soon as the play sprang into motion, the moment the whip whistled through the air and B'jin took the first lash. Jada cried out, then bit her lip and aimed a hand in front of Indivara's eyes. "I changed my mind. This is a bad idea."
She lifted her head, looking around, perplexed. She couldn't bring herself to watch, but it was too late to turn back now.
Her first clue was in watching the man who held the whip. She wasn't the people-reader some of her peers were, but it wasn't too hard to gauge the way he twisted the object in his hands, nor the way he looked at B'jin. Jada felt her face pale, and stuck her chin up, trying to peer around through the crowd at who had come to watch. Being of 'fair to middling' height it wasn't as hard as she was expecting. She recognized a few of her fellow Candidates, a few Riders, and of course the people on stage. She saw people who seemed pleased by what was happening here, and people who did not.
Personally, Jada liked B'jin. She only knew him 'professionally' as it were, with the greenrider spending much of his time with the children, just like herself. She'd been stolen around half a turn ago, in late spring, and was still getting to learn everyone. She only knew the many rumors of why he was getting lashed, hadn't heard anything from his own mouth. They were acquaintances, not friends. It wasn't for support that she was in the crowd.
It would be starting soon, she could tell that much from the tableau. Everyone was taking their places. Squeezing Indivara's hand, Jada moved through the crowd, to get a position where the other girl could 'see' and taking a place behind her. A decision she regretted as soon as the play sprang into motion, the moment the whip whistled through the air and B'jin took the first lash. Jada cried out, then bit her lip and aimed a hand in front of Indivara's eyes. "I changed my mind. This is a bad idea."
She lifted her head, looking around, perplexed. She couldn't bring herself to watch, but it was too late to turn back now.