1629, Fire Season, Truth Week
Context
Having been sent to deal with the problem of the Elmali and Yelmalians being at odds, Berra is having second thoughts about keeping Nayale with her. Session S5.O-18.
Events
Night has fallen over the Yalmoring clan, their village, and the little cluster of tents that holds their guests. While not exactly on guard, Berra has been casually doing spear drills, which the very suspicious might point out allow her to move quickly, checking all the sight lines. When she draws to a halt, she is sweating lightly through her thin tunic. She does not practice slowly.
Maalira wanders over with a pitcher of water and a cup. “Thirsty?”
Berra’s smile lights up her face. “Yeah. Um, are you settling in well?”
Not far away, Nayale sits in silent meditation.
Maalira pours water and hands over the cup. “Yes, all settled in. I’m not sleepy though.”
“I don’t know why I asked a bison rider that really.” Berra sips, then drinks all the water in a couple of gulps and looks surprised.
Maalira laughs and holds her hand out for the cup. “More?”
Berra looks down, and up again. “Yes please.” She does remember to glance around her for threats. Nayale might count. Her eyes linger there.
Maalira refills the cup and touches it lightly to Berra’s hand, to get her attention. She glances over at Nayale too.
“Ta.” Berra takes the cup without looking, and drops her voice. “I’ve been worried about her. She had a bad time in the grazelands.”
Maalira chews her lip. “Does she need a temple? Or is this a healer thing?”
“i… don’t know. It might be a Temple thing, but it might be that she needs ….” There is an awkward shrug. “How are you with people who might get attacked by crocodiles?”
Maalira glances around. “I mean, we’ve all been at risk from crocodiles a fair bit,” she says.
Nayale is focused on Humakt.1Failed listen and actually passed Meditate.
The young warrior is oblivious to the world around her. Her attention is turned inward, deeply focused on each breath. She looks older than her 18 years. Dark circles under her eyes, her brow furrowed in concentration. She’s still wearing the mended armour with her padding underneath.
“If you look at her,” Berra says quietly, “Does she look like she’s been sleeping right?”
Maalira shakes her head. “No, not at all. Something must be really bothering her.”
“There’s some stuff I can’t tell you, but she’s basically trying to live up to what she thinks I want her to be, maybe? Or what she thinks she wants? And some other stuff.”
“She does look up to you very much,” Maalira says, nodding. “It’s cute, but not if it’s going to wear her to dust.”
Berra narrows her eyes. “I had a lot more to keep me busy, I guess? And I didn’t have anyone I was trying to be. Any hints for that?”
Maalira frowns in thought. “I think that’s it, really. You didn’t wear yourself out because you were just being you. Maybe Nayale needs a quest or something that’s her own?”
A thoughtful look. “She’s got a bro… half brother, but really, twin from another mother. She’s gone straight from him to me.”
“She needs to not be a duckling,” Maalira says, with a not-unkind smile.2oO° I wonder what Harmakt’s doing now? Breathe, Nayale. Focus on the breath.
“Mhm.” Berra narrows her eyes. “Yeah.” Her water starts to interest her again, and she takes a thoughtful sip. “I need to get her brother doing things he’s not comfortable with either. Or I can put ’em back in Temple, and those people are pretty good at giving people war experience.”
“I don’t think sending Nayale away would help her much,” Maalira says thoughtfully.
“Returning her to the Regiment once we’ve done our thing? I wasn’t thinking of sending her off now, but of what I do for the next seasons. I might be anywhere, anyhow.”
“That’s true. And, um…” Maalira quirks her lips. “If we meet up with Varanis again the whole crocodile thing might get very awkward.”
“Yeah. And I wanna take Varanis to Prax.” Berra looks down, awkwardly.
Berra seems a little torn about Varanis and Prax3Maalira passes Insight..
“Are you not sure about Prax, or Varanis, or both?” Maalira probes lightly.
“Not for talking about.” Berra drinks more. “Harmakt needs to – that’s her brother – needs go to to cities more, and be trusted with money and negotiations.”
Maalira definitely does not pout at not being able to talk about it. Definitely. “You could send them both to the city on an errand?” she suggests.
“The Regiment’s in Boldhome. Harmakt’s probably camping out right now, waiting for his sister to get back to him. Someone’s playing arseholes with my borders up near Greyrock.” Berra’s scowl is dismissive. She is apparently certain that she can deal with that problem, and that the problem is the someone.
“One problem at a time,” Maalira says. “How are we going to stop Nayale from wearing herself out before we’re done with this one?”
Berra gives a little sigh. “We could send her back to her brother. He’ll be able to help her. But if she stays here? Dunno. Give her relatively easy things she can do? But not obviously?”
“Build up her confidence. Yes. Can I help to be sneaky?”
Berra keeps a straight face. “I don’t know. Sometimes I notice when you’re asking me helpful questions, it’s just that I don’t mind.”
Maalira sticks her tongue out. “You knew what I meant!”
“Yeah. Send her to do small things, certainly. And you’re in charge of us all, so you’ve got reason to.”
Maalira sighs. “I’m sure I’m not supposed to be in charge. Just doing what I was told or what obviously needed doing in the moment was easier.”
“No. You’re in charge. Don’t hide behind thinking people must be wrong. What needs doing in the moment is for you to be the one doing what’s to be done.”
“I dare you to say that again in exactly the same order,” Maalira says, then sighs. “You’re right, of course. And I don’t have to like it.”
Berra looks at her fingers and counts off and up. What needs doing in the moment is for you to… be doing what’s to be done.” She scowls as if trying to work out whether she missed anything. “An’ yeah. You don’t have to, but you have to.”
After a long pause, Maalira shakes herself. “Well, the first thing we need to do is get her to sleep, not just meditate.”
“Yeah…” Berra looks thoughtful. “Maybe I should assign her to you, officially. But she’d be trying to impress me.”
“Yes, I don’t think you can really change that.”
“So just tell her to do stuff.” Berra looks innocent in a studied way. “It’ll be good practice.”
“You telling me to go do that being a good example,” Maalira says, grinning.
Berra looks proud. Even in the dimness of the night it looks like she is blushing. “Mm!”
“More water?” Maalira says after a moment.
Nod-nod-nod. Berra holds out her hand. The cup is still mostly full.
Maalira tops it off. “Drink. You were training pretty hard.”
Berra says, “Not really,” but she chugs it back. Glug glug glug.
“Are you going to set a watch?” Maalira asks, gesturing at the spear and the tents.
“Nah. It’d insult our hosts.” Berra rolls out her shoulders. “We’re inside their walls. I might go up and stand in the watchtower for a bit, but to be honest, it’s been … what, a season? half a season? since we all started being in a hurry? I could do with a full night.”
“We all could.” She glances over at Nayale again. “I don’t want to interrupt her devotion but maybe she should sleep?”
“Let’s let her have this success, and then when she comes out of it, she can rest.” Berra seems decided on that.
- 1Failed listen and actually passed Meditate.
- 2oO° I wonder what Harmakt’s doing now? Breathe, Nayale. Focus on the breath.
- 3Maalira passes Insight.
