"Hurry up, hurry up, don't be late." The always impatient Asle shouted to Sharet behind him.
Sharet quickened his pace but didn't break into a jog like him; the Night Watcher had just announced that the time was seven in the morning.
The so-called artisans' meeting would only begin at seven-thirty. What's the point of arriving so early?
But when Sharet finally stood on the platform in front of the Senate Building's lobby, he realized he was gravely mistaken.
Hundreds of artisans and laborers from Rapids City had already crowded at the entrance, seeking shade beneath the leaf-carved stone pillars and the wavy cloud-patterned marble eaves.
Most of them wore simple linen long-sleeved shirts; those with more money wore linen or blended fabric, with a vest on top.
Anyone in the know could easily distinguish who were artisans and who were laborers.
Those clad in gray, brown-yellow, or white garments, wearing leather cowls or straw hats, were essentially laborers.
