Oh, a kind lady she was, or at least thought herself to be. Briar suppressed a look when the lady commented on the possibility of late payment. She was happy enough with what she'd said, but that shameful air about this woman when she spoke about it was rather odd.

Money problems? Or maybe this Nisa Koç had a husband or a father that wasn't great about getting her allowance on time.

Or, as Nisa continued -- a brother. Briar nodded knowingly.

She paused when the lady stopped, casting her an openly curious glance. Called out for her posturing, Briar bowed her head almost sheepishly and offered a nod to show she understood.

"You are very kind, miss," she said, and gave a small smile to prove she meant it. Not the kind of lady that needed her to act like some pitiful dog at her beck and call, then. When Nisa resumed her walk, Briar fell into quick step beside her again.

"Oh, yes, miss. Never left Whitby in all my life, so I know it well. As for my family - all dead, miss, buried them myself."

She didn't sound that broken up about it. In fact, for how casually she'd said it, one might've thought she'd said something as plain as "I folded the clothes."

Oh, she hoped that wasn't why she'd been so quickly turned down for all the other jobs...