Settling Inn

JACOB

"Excuse me, sir. Slaves must enter through the back," the doorman stopped us when we attempted to enter.

"She goes where I go. If she can't enter with me, then I'm afraid I will have to take my patronage elsewhere," I replied coolly.

"I'm sorry, but those are the rules. If our establishment allowed slaves into its public areas, its prestige would be damages," he said in a placating tone. "I'm afraid that the same would be true of all the inns in the area. If you want a more egalitarian establishment, I suggest that you look in the Peach quarter." It was the name of a nearby crime-ridden slum neighborhood that several people warned us against.

"It's alright. We knew we'd have to play along with this kind treatment. Let's not cause a scene," Vivian said quietly in Hebrew while keeping herself in what she called a proper subservient pose, with her hands clasped in front of herself and her head lowered. I took a deep breath.