1629, Fire Season, Stasis Week, Freezeday
Context
Having met with the Feathered Horse Queen’s representative to report what just happened at New Pennel Ford, the party is riding back to the caravan. Session SO5.11.
Events
Nayale is still looking very agitated as she draws her horse alongside Berra’s.
“I… uh… didn’t handle that very well, did I?” Though it’s phrased as a question, it’s more of a statement. She knows the answer.
Berra considers that. “Handle what? Her leaning on you, or me letting it happen?”
“Reporting what happened when being questioned,” the young woman replies1Fails Insight Human.. “I was babbling.”
Berra takes a deep breath. “Yeah. You didn’t have a clear idea of what you were saying, or what you were saying it for. You said the things you had to, though.”
Cheeks pink, Nayale says, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. Once I started, I didn’t know how to stop. And… she kept touching me and I didn’t like that, but I didn’t want to be rude. But… I just couldn’t think.”
Berra nods very slightly. “I could have stepped in. Next time, though, if someone is messing with you like that, you’re allowed to be angry. You did the right thing. I mean, in saying things. And she knew what she was doing.”
“I don’t like being touched. Especially not by people I don’t know. It’s …” She shudders and her horse side steps away from Berra automatically. “I don’t like it. But, how do you say that without being rude? She’s a priestess. The Queen’s representative. I was worried that if she got mad, things would go worse.”
“You say it by saying please stop. She wasn’t enjoying touching you. She was enjoying you thinking you couldn’t do anything. Be rude if you have to. It’s Irillo’s task to smooth things over, not yours. Your task is to make things dead, very quickly, if you have to.”
“But… why would she even do that? And why me? It’s not like I’m important. You and Lord Irillo and the White Lady are the…” It comes to her then. “Oh. Because I’m not important. So, it was easier to get away with it. And… maybe she thought my discomfort would rattle one of you because you’re kind of responsible for me?” She’s finally starting to sound angry.
Berra watches. “And because we’re a lot more used to talking to powerful people. Have you ever had a Priestess ask you questions before?”
Nayale shakes her head. “Except when I was little and grandfather collected me. The clan Earth Mother met each of us when we were brought in. She interviewed us to… anyway. That doesn’t matter. It was different.”
Berra nods. “Yeah. You look at me, and you know I’m going to push back if you come hard. Someone looks at you, they’re still seeing a young face.” The Wyter Priestess is speaking from the grand age of 23.
“She didn’t have to do that,” comes the resentful reply. “I was going to tell the truth. I always tell the truth.”
“She wasn’t trying to just get the truth, though. She was showing power. And she didn’t know that you always tell the truth – she could maybe guess, but not know. But she wanted to amuse herself while getting it.” Berra shrugs, like she is at the end of what she was saying. “If we’re telling truths, I had no idea what I was going to say if she asked me, because I was going around a lot in my head. So getting everything out in the wrong order’s still getting everything out.”
“Am I going to have to speak again tomorrow?”
“Maybe? But it’ll be formal, so you get to stand up and say for yourself.” Berra twists her face wryly.
“And no one will touch me when I’m speaking?”
“If they do, tell them you’re not having it. You’re the one who saw most, so you should be speaking, but you don’t have to be uncomfortable while you are.”
Nayale nods. “I saw you kill those people, Lady Berra.” She twists her reins in her hands, then takes a breath and smooths them out again. “What will happen to you?”
Berra’s expression twists again, and then flattens out. “Probably, I’ll be told to pay the blood money. Likely before the end of next season, or something like that. I don’t think I wanna be in feuds right now, and the families don’t deserve that anyhow.”
The ransoms will probably be 500 L each. If, that is, Berra is lucky.
Nayale’s eyes widen as she contemplates an impossible amount of money. “How will you do that?”
“I’ve got… I’ll probably have to sell my land, but my Temple might decide to cover it, and we got sent here by Lord Tennebris, so he might put some in as well.” Berra looks down. “Failing that it’s the land and some other stuff.”
The younger Humakti just looks horrified.
A few minutes later, Berra has managed to get her expressions under control, and gives Nayale a contrite look. “I’m sorry. I didn’t stand up for you.”
The statement knocks Nayale out of her reverie. “I’m supposed to learn to do that on my own, though. Aren’t I?”
Berra takes a minute to think that through, holding her hand out for a moment of it to forestall an answer. “If I just stabbed you, or let people stab you, I wouldn’t be teaching you to fight. But we do sword drills, and I’ve made sure you know which end of a spear is which.”
“Just so long as no one expects me to do sword drills with her.” The young woman’s smile is strained. She’s trying to deflect with humour.
“Well, she’s Ernaldan.” Berra could mean anything by that. “But… you were out-matched with what she’s good at doing and nobody had helped you deal with it before. So I t’chulda … should’ve… helped you out of it. I didn’t realise that, so I’m sorry. For next time, if you can, say you don’t want her hands on you, because it’s about her actions, not you, and if you can’t say that, just get up and refuse to sit down again.”
The Priest seems to be counting things off on her fingers. Maybe this is theoretical to her.
“Next time.” Nayale shudders involuntarily before rolling her shoulders and sitting up straighter on her horse. “I will refuse. Thank you, Lady Berra.”
“Yeah. Some time in life you’re going to have people thinking they can put pressure on you. Don’t worry about not letting me down, or looking after people like Irillo. We should be looking after you. And I really am sorry.” She looks angrily at her horse’s ears.
“But, I…” Nayale starts to argue, then falls silent. “I learned something useful from the experience,” she says after a moment.
“Mhm. I think I did too.” Berra looks towards the approaching Queen’s Post. “I’m gonna split off from you up ahead. I’m sticking outside.”
Nayale nods. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
Berra lets her horse drift her away from Nayale’s.
- 1Fails Insight Human.
