Varanis — 1626 0802 Candle10
????, Earth Season, Season/Fertility Week
Context
Earth Season/Fertility Week/Waterday Eve [[[s02:session-7|Session 7]]]
House Evaeo
Events
Varanis allows Marta to make all the choices around what to wear while she waits for her tea to be delivered. She asks for two cups tonight. Solaska will provide.
The evening’s party is at House Evaeo. Xenofos is there, looking a bit tired. Garin is there. Vahnfar is there but not singing. SHE is not there. How badly did were her feelings hurt?
Varanis is once again sparkling. Marta has worked her magic and erased all evidence of exhaustion from her features, while Solaska’s tea has given her the energy she needs to make it through the evening. She dances and smiles her way through the crowds. When she talks to someone, it’s as though they are the only person in the room, but she is careful not to stay too long with any one person.
Garin does not try to make contact. Vahnfar does.
Though the subjects of conversation vary depending on her audience, she frequently makes mention of Mellia and the romantic HeroQuest that led to Venlar’s passionate actions. With the right people, she will try to drop word of Kallyr’s renewed actions against the Lunars.1Passed intrigue.
A bit clumsily he arrives with goblet and plate of some light delicacies.
“Good evening, Vahnfar.”
“Some refreshments after your dance?” He has brought honeyed syrupy things, maybe dates. And the finest mead, slightly sparkling.
“Thank you, but no. I can’t have those things right now, I’m afraid.” She shakes her head, wistfully eyeing the dates.
“Oh. Could I bring you something else?” Looks of hope and disappointment flicker on his handsome face.
“Perhaps a cup of water? Maybe some fruit if you can find anything that has not been sweetened?
He rushes away and returns quickly. Water and pomegranates it is.
She nods her thanks and speaks with him a while, inviting him to walk with her. He is basking in Varanis’ attention. Drinking every word like a lost Lunar scout in Prax would drink oasis water. As soon as she can, she leaves him with another group of young people, much like she did with Lenta the first time. Maybe he’s not a stupid man, but it seems Varanis has him totally under her spell. The look on his face was similar Venlar gives to Mellia.
As soon as she can do so politely, she leaves him with another group of people, makes her excuses to her hosts, and returns home.
—
At the palazzo there are shards of pottery in floor of her room. With a folded papyrus on the carpet.
“Marta? What’s this?” Varanis calls.
“Those clumsy cleaning girls. Let me clean this immediately.”
Varanis picks up the papyrus and asks Marta not to discard the fragments. She summons Xenofos. She’s not even going to attempt to read it on her own.
Xenofos arrives, looks at Varanis and papyrus. “Another one?”
“Yes. But…” She tells him everything about the evening and the previous one too, finishing with the broken pot. She leaves nothing out.
Marta adds, “Never seen that pot milady, but it does not look remarkable in any way… just a pot like one for ointments.”
Xenofos looks at the papyrus. “Weird sticky, ink. Have you had an affair with this Garin?”
“What do you think it means? No!”
Xenofos looks serious as he reads her the [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Catullus_8 poem]. “The words of this and previous sound like you would have had steaming love affair. It makes me concerned, the man sounds… weird.”
“I don’t understand any of this,” she admits in frustration.
“Maybe I should have some words with this … Garin.”
She shakes her head. “Just leave it be. I’ll handle this when I see him next.”
- 1Passed intrigue.
