{"id":467,"date":"2022-03-21T13:24:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T12:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slickhaven.com\/?p=467"},"modified":"2025-10-17T09:43:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T07:43:36","slug":"story-part-2-welcome-to-slickhaven","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/slickhaven.com\/en\/story-part-2-welcome-to-slickhaven\/","title":{"rendered":"Story part 2 – Welcome to Slickhaven"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benjamin eyed the skinny man. If that drunkard from earlier represented the street level, this one was certainly middle class, but he likely couldn\u2019t aspire to the status of the local elite, if such a thing even existed around here. He had delicate features and must have been a bit younger than Benjamin\u2019s own thirty seasons. He was holding a wicker basket and in it, between vials and neatly folded scraps of cloth, several grapefruits and lemons could be spotted. Those couldn\u2019t be imported goods; there were several trade routes leading to Slickhaven\u2019s ports, but probably not as exclusive. Cultivated locally, then? The fruits around here must truly had their own opinion on the climate they could ripen in.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBenjamin.\u201d He shook the pale man\u2019s hand. This one, for a change, was neither dirty nor riddled with warts. \u201cBenjamin Corvus, the Imperial Botanical Association, a pleasure. Yes, I just arrived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The man\u2019s eyes lit up.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAh! A fellow seeker of knowledge, how wonderful! My name is Cooper Daugal, or simply Doctor Cooper, as they call me around here. I\u2019m the local healer, in fact probably the only one, unless you also count charlatans selling window ornaments to ward off diseases,\u201d he explained and laughed. \u201cYou\u2019re looking for the butcher\u2019s shop, aren\u2019t you? Allow me to be your guide. It\u2019s not far, but some streets tend to have\u2026 unfavorable factors included, if you know what I mean.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Benjamin followed the doctor deeper into Slickhaven, deciding right off the bat that if anyone asks, he will not hesitate to point out Cooper as the first person he met in town. It was hard to find a good healer, and especially one so young.<\/span><\/p>\n

The grey houses painted a picture different from what he was used to. In his native village there were mostly wooden huts, cramped but cozy, always with large doors to symbolize hospitality. The capital, on the other hand, was dominated by tall, soaring buildings with vast windows \u2013 the bigger they were, the more on the societal arena their inhabitants had to show. Here, it was different. The purpose of the buildings was to be functional, and they were meant to provide a roof over one’s head as such. Both the doors and the windows were small, which gave a clear idea about their residents.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI still don\u2019t understand,\u201d Benjamin pondered, crossing a square with the town well in the middle of it. \u201cYou speak the language of the empire here, and yet when I asked about the meat market, the gentleman there became very displeased. I was under the impression that he only started to listen when I said I meant the Greasy Butcher.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe people of Slickhaven have their pride,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cMany are unhappy that they\u2019re part of the Empire now. Of course, it\u2019s been many years since the changes, but if you were going to the Greasy Butcher before the meat markets and the new government swooped in, that\u2019s how some prefer to remember it, passing the tradition from one to the next. Worth remembering if you don\u2019t want to make enemies here.\u201d He shrugged. \u201cI\u2019m no linguist, but I suspect a habit has more power than any decree.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo how should I call you? \u2018Medician\u2019 Cooper? Or would you prefer \u2018Physician\u2019 Daugal?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cooper shook his head.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA magnolia by any other name would smell the same, wouldn\u2019t it? There is no room for prejudice in my line of work, and \u2018Doctor Cooper\u2019 will do just fine. I\u2019m an imperial myself, too, but I think I\u2019ve been here long enough they treat me as one of their own. Force of habit once again, probably, it\u2019ll be less than a year for me here, I think.\u201d Cooper stopped in his tracks and pointed to a large, decorative cleaver hanging over the street. \u201cAnd we\u2019re here. I trust you can follow through on your own?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIndeed, thanks for the help. Without you I\u2019d be probably still stuck debating the local element.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re welcome!\u201d Cooper replied cheerfully and reached into his basket. A moment later a large lemon landed in Benjamin\u2019s hands. \u201cA welcome gift from myself and Slickhaven. Should you need me, I live by the square with the well. Oh, and I\u2019d better see you visiting as a guest, not a patient!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Benjamin smiled and said his goodbyes to the doctor. A gift from Slickhaven\u2026 well, it wasn\u2019t his village, nor was it the capital, but there was no shortage of interesting individuals here. Not bad at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

He moved towards the establishment, but stopped mid-step. He threw a glance at the cleaver and for a moment a sense of paranoia swept over him. It wobbled a bit, but the chains seemed to be holding it well enough.<\/span><\/p>\n

He shook his head. There was nothing to be anxious about, that whole Greasy Butcher would surely prove to be just as friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Benjamin eyed the skinny man. If that drunkard from earlier represented the street level, this one was certainly middle class, but he likely couldn\u2019t aspire to the status of the local elite, if such a thing even existed around here. 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