Mellia — Viewing A House
????, Dark Season
Context
Early in Dark Season. [[[s02:session-55|Session 55]]]
Events
The journey to Boldhome is chilly and windy, but not bad. There are farewells to the Praxians there, and Berra goes to visit her Temple.
Two days later, on an unseasonably warm evening, Mellia arrives in the city with Venlar, Yamia, Tamakt, his wetnurse Enranin, and the almost-unflappable servant, Felgin. Venlar sends Felgin off from the gate with a message, and then the others arrive at the White Grape not long after that.
Mellia settles in at the White Grape and starts looking for Varanis, Berra and Maalira.
Maalira has gone to Prax, Rondrik says. She seemed sad to be going, but she left with the others. The Humakti’s around… Varanis with her, maybe?
“I hope so. Thanks, Rondrik.”
Mellia is ready to look for Berra at the Humakti temple. Venlar offers to send someone, of course. “No need to go out in the dark.”
Mellia agrees to this because it has been a long day.
Just as Venlar finished negotiating with the daughter of the house, a girl large enough to run errands, there is a sound at the door to the stable. Berra’s voice. “-ing to be colder than this, I am definitely sorry about the cloak.” She comes in from that way, holding the door open for Varanis. Her cloak is over one arm. “It’s going to really come down when it starts, I promise you.” Mellia and Venlar get a wave of greeting, as Berra takes their presence in stride.
Mellia waves back and says, “Hello, you two. We all need to talk. I recommend somewhere warm, dry and very private.”
Varanis blinks in astonishment. “Mellia? Venlar? Is something wrong? What’s happened to bring you here in such a rush?”
Berra blinks. “Uhhh. Sure. I know a few places. Not here, though.”
Mellia says, “Nothing is wrong yet. Let’s talk in private.”
Varanis gives the healer a dubious look, before turning to Venlar with a raised brow. “Is it as bad as she thinks?”
Berra nods. “We can walk up to one of the walls – plenty of caves I know there, we can make a fire. Or there are a few courtyards – it’s not cold. And my sister’s currently measuring up a house that we might be buying, and that’s probably best. We’ll just be going to look at it – pretty natural, and we’ve already looked it over for being private and it’s not bad. Might not be the one, but it might as well be useful.” She puts her cloak on like a big scarf, over her shoulders and hanging down the front. “You can go on the bison, Mellia. Your animals gotta need a rest.”
“Thanks, Berra. I would like to see this house.” Mellia nods and will follow Berra.
Berra saddles a bison that looks like it has had a little exercise that day – there is mud here and there on the tack, still – and calls for Rondrik to put a saddle on Rode, for Venlar. Yamia insists on taking the chariot again, executing an impressively tight turn inside the courtyard to avoid uncoupling her little horses. Tamakt is in a basket there, but Yamia offers Varanis a lift.
When Berra says it’s not cold, Varanis looks like she might argue, but she remains silent.
The journey is across the city of Boldhome, which is very spread out, but Yehna is to be found in a house of several rooms, with a private garden, and a view across to the palace.
Venlar seems less worried than Mellia, both about the urgency and about the general situation.
“This is one we’re not sure we can afford,” Berra says, “But we kind of want to. Hey, Yehna. I need to talk to these people privately… yes I know there are a lot of them.”
“Teeth rattling, but kind of fun,” Varanis comments to Yamia as they follow Berra into the house.
Mellia says, “It’s lovely, Berra.”
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The group goes to look at a house, and also to have somewhere safe to talk privately
