1629, Earth Season, Fertility Week, Freezeday to Stasis Week, Freezeday
Context
Maalira is riding through Prax with her friends, and they are enjoying the hospitality of Duke Raus Session Prax 6.7
Events
Ronegarth, the house and associated holdings of Duke Raus, is an odd place. It sits on the Zola Fel, along which traditionally no settler has been able to keep a stead. The land is good, but the neighbours are terrible.
Or, from the Praxian perspective, idiots keep coming to live there, and they are really easy to raid.
Until this guy. He’s not exactly famed among the bison riders, because they’ve been out in the wastes for a long time, and Maalira has not been paying attention anyhow, but it seems that there is a Lunar who managed to hold on. His house is a prayer to the sky, built inside a star-shaped wall that slants down on the outside, but has odd gaps within so that it cannot be taken by a charge. Even if one could get all the way up those odd slopes, there is a long drop on the other side.
Animals have been stabled. People have been welcomed. Varanis has sung a rather good but also rather long song, after dinner, introducing everyone. Now it is late evening, and Maalira could talk to anyone there. Lunars, Praxians, visitors from New Pavis where she was trained, and a couple of newtlings, their wet eyes nictating as they hide behind a muddy wicker shield from the heat of the fire, and argue with a duck about the river currents.
The man in charge here is a Duke, which seems to be a Lunar term.1Maalira passes Intrigue to learn a few things. He has a wife from an expensive Sundome family, up in New Pavis. His full household includes a scribe who is monopolising Xenofos, and a Humakti who is apparently the reason Berra is here. She is going to ask him to join Lord Eril’s hero cult, and she has no idea about the answer.
The people here think Berra has come to ask for a job she was once offered, and are hoping that Maalira is going to spill dirt, or at least beans.
Maalira drifts over towards Berra to see what she’s going to do.
Berra has been talking to the old Humakti here, a man with iron-grey hair that matches the iron sword at his side. As Maalira approaches, Berra gives her a glance, at almost exactly the same time as the man Daine does. Daine’s look also takes in Berra’s pleased smile, although he makes no comment. For a moment, both wait on Maalira’s words.
“Are you well?” Maalira asks politely, taking in everyone present with her question.
“Well as I was a couple of hours ago,” Berra says.
The older Humakti, despite his Lunar pallor, asks in Praxian, “May we help, White Lady? I feel I am in good health.” Berra looks lost at the questions.
Some kind of blessing seems to have happened to Varanis at the Paps, as they passed through. Berra watches with interest as a young woman angles that way casually. Daine keeps his attention on Maalira.
“Oh no, I don’t mean to intrude,” Maalira says hastily. “Just a politeness.” She takes a few small steps backwards.
“Oh, not a problem at all. In fact, I think I could do with – at the very least – a talk with you.” He leaves it open as to when.
Varanis notices the woman coming her direction and offers her a welcoming smile.
“Of course,” Maalira says, giving Daine a smile. “Whenever you like.”
“Then a dawn walk, perhaps?” By which he absolutely means that he intends to talk privately. There is a tiny glance towards Berra, like he is not sure which bed will have which person in it tonight, but he says nothing to imply anything about that at all.
“That would be very pleasant.”
Varanis and the young woman drift off together, clearly intending to talk. Or something.
“Then I have a few more questions to ask your friend.” He switches back to Tradetalk.
The friend gives him a sort-of smile, and a sigh. “Right. Yes. We should go do that.”
Several other young women seem to be with Varanis as well, either just casually nearby, or talking to each other as they go out at the same time.
Maalira drifts towards Varanis, curious about what is going on.
“She’s just dreamy,” one of the women is saying to another.
“She’s amazing in bed.”
Perhaps Varanis has been here before.
Maalira makes a half-giggle-half-cough sound and stares at the women, then at Varanis.
“She can please anyone…” A long sigh.
“Oh! Hello Maalira!” Varanis redirects her gaze from the young woman who is standing very close to her to her Praxian friend.
“Uh, hello, Ranie…” Maalira uses the old nickname, not sure of what these people know of Varanis right now. “What’s, um, happening?”
The young lady casually winds an arm around Varanis.
“Well, Jezra here was offering to take me on a tour.”
Varanis beams down at the lady now glued to her.
“A… tour.” Maalira looks doubtful. “With what? I mean, of what?”
“Oh, absolutely all over, I hope…” says the young woman in question.
From behind her, someone murmurs, “Does the White Lady have dibs?”
Maalira looks like she might die a little from embarrassment. “Oh gosh, no, no dibs here, but, uh, Ranie… are you feeling alright?”
“She looks fine to me…”
“Very fine.”
“Shush,” Maalira says, in her White Lady voice.
“Of course I’m alright,” Varanis says. “I’m really quite enjoying myself, thank you.”
“Oh, she has got dibs…”
“Wouldn’t you rather be enjoying yourself with Serala, though?” Maalira suggests.
“Plenty for all of us, darling,” says one of the fluttering women.
Maalira gives her a stern look.
Varanis just looks puzzled. “I love Serala, but what has she to do with anything just now?”
Maalira waves her hands awkwardly, trying to encompass all of the fluttering women. “Not to say that there’s anything strange about women being attracted to you, but this-” – more hand-waving – “-is a little unusual?”
“I had no idea Raus’ people were so… welcoming,” Varanis says. “But, we’re waiting on Berra’s work and this is more enjoyable than endless travels and being angry.”
A couple of women start tugging Varanis away.
“Say goodnight to Berra for me,” Varanis says to Maalira before pulling the women to her sides and striding off with more than her usual swagger.
Maalira throws her hands up and turns back towards Berra.
- 1Maalira passes Intrigue to learn a few things.
