Thea arrived at the Vel Corte train station sometime in the early afternoon. She wasn't quite sure of the precise time, as her pocket watch had stopped during the trip. She wound it but it was now use, it was broken and in need of repair. It was an appalling turn of events. When she stepped off the train there was a wide smile on her face. There was so much to see and experience in the city and Thea couldn't wait to tackle it. She spotted a woman with vibrant red hair waving and recognized her as the woman she was supposed to meet. She went over quickly saying, "oh, you must be Joan."
"I am," Joan said brightly, "and you must be Thea. Welcome to Vel Corte, is it your first time?"
"It is," Thea replied. "It's so exciting. I hope to see everything while I am here."
Joan laughed and took Thea by the arm as a porter picked up the luggage and carried it behind them. "We're going to have so much fun together," she told Thea. "There is a speech I planned on attending tonight if you are not too tired."
"Oh, I'm not tired at all. I'm so excited. Who is the speaker that we're seeing?"
"Lady Crawford," Joan answered.
~ o ~
Joan could barely sit through the lecture, it bored her so. Thea was hanging on every word, just as Joan had used to before her transformation into a submissive slut. Her green eyes glanced at Thea who was on the edge of her chair, enthralled by the ramblings of Lady Crawford. Joan wondered how she could have ever taken the woman seriously. Thea was enraptured by it.
"Lady Crawford is certainly right," Thea said coming out of the auditorium. "Women mustn't limit themselves based on outdated traditions. We mustn't be afraid to read books deemed dangerous by the patriarchal society and think for ourselves, just as she said. I've never read a dangerous book myself, but I shall most certainly try it on Lady Crawford's wise recommendation."
Joan paused and looked at the dark haired, wide eyed, innocent thing before and felt a surge of guilt and shame go through her. She had realized that she had said almost the exact same words after reading Lady Crawford's book. It was led her to Mr. Puddle's bookshop in the first place. "Rubbish," Joan heard a woman exclaim coming down the steps to the benighted street. "I've never been so appalled by a woman's speech."
Joan looked at Thea and said, "wait here for a moment near the lamppost. I'll return right away." Joan turned and left Thea there for the time being. She flew up the steps and back into the auditorium.
She navigated her way to the back, slipping past some workers who were standing around complaining about Lady Crawford's lecture. They didn't care for her rather forward ideas. Joan searched the back for Lady Crawford, unsure of why other than Laura had suggested it. It was strange to her. No matter which way she went into this tug of war between her masters and Laura, Joan knew that she wouldn't be making her own decisions from then on. It was a game of will and she was only the game piece. Joan turned a corner and came to a door that was cracked open. She went up to it as quietly as she could and peaked in to snoop.