Mellia — Mother In Law
????, Storm Season
Context
Early Storm Season in the Cracks-Rock house in Wilmskirk. [[[s02:session-18|Session 18]]]
Events
Venlar gets his wine bowls; the boy with the basket of ceramics tags along, and Venlar loves them, but halfway through admiring one he almost drops it – almost, but not quite – when Thenaya knocks on the door to his room and comes in at his call. With an arm around Mellia’s waist and his hand holding the bowl, Venlar runs out of options as he tries to greet his mother, and then offers the bowl to Mellia to deal with the problem, but still has his arm around her so it ends up as an awkward but rather loving hug.
Mellia will take the bowl, put it down and hug Thenaya.
“Let me embrace my daughter,” she says, folding Mellia into a hug in return. “You are welcome in my house forever, as my family.”
Mellia is at a loss for words. She has tears in her eyes.
Thenaya gives her a long hug, and is crying too. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“I am glad to be here! How are you doing ?”
“Oh, so well now that Venlar has brought you home.” She steps back to take a look at Mellia, including a calculating glance at the waistline, but just a short one. “And so pleased you are back, and Silor as well. We’ve been needing him more than anyone wanted to say. Jengharl’s lost weight and Aelna missed her husband so badly – she’s with him now but I couldn’t come before she did, not just to see him, are you pregnant yet?”
“Mama… let her at least say a word or two?” Venlar suggests.
“Not yet,” Mellia says. “I should have put my foot down sooner. Not that the negotiations are done. Maybe I should have drawn up a list of conditions.”
“You’re here and there isn’t a problem,” Thenaya says. “This is Sartar now. You’re home.”
Mellia beams. “I wish I could marry Venlar right now.”
“Oh, you’re married already, dear. But if not -“
“Mama.” Venlar breaks in urgently. “Father stopped us from fleeing over the border together. But we’re… we’re here.”
Thenaya looks a little disappointed. “Well. Would you like me to talk to him?”
“Perhaps you should. This is crazy. Besides, we want the wedding while Kallyr can still preside over it.”
“Of course I will, but his wife will be with him now. Let’s sit and eat, and Venlar can listen to us talk about weaving.”
Mellia sits, eats and listens to Thenaya talk about weaving.
She talks all about setting up a loom, and how patience helps and you’re creating a new thing in the world, which is a woman’s task, and Venlar eats carefully and then shows her his new bowls, and calls for wine. Thenaya gets up to go and get it, and he looks confused, like he has forgotten his mother might do that.
Mellia eats normally and listens carefully to Thenaya.
Venlar gets his mother to sit down and makes sure someone else gets the wine, and then he moves his chair closer to Mellia and relaxes. “I could always carry her into our Tula, but it’s not the same as Sartar,” he says.
A little time passes. Venlar gets tipsy and Thenaya goes to speak to Silor. Tipsy Venlar sings loves songs.
Mellia sings along, but tries to be sober.
A day passes. Venlar introduces Mellia to Vegetarian Cat, who is a thin but very soft and silky creature. The introduction comes when the cat ambushes Venlar by jumping on his head. Venlar freezes, but does not panic, and the cat neatly jumps down to lick a paw and pretend it did nothing wrong. “Oh! Hello. Do you remember I said we had a cat that won’t eat meat?”
“That’s it? The cat is remarkably healthy.”
“Yes, I know! But she’s the one Jengharl wrote about.” Venlar reaches down to scoop up the cat. “Apparently she eats jerky as well, so maybe someone else feeds her? But she moves mice around without hurting them. Useless floppy cat.” His voice is fond.
The cat flops in his arms, purring and getting hair on his clothes. Pale cream hair, with dark markings on the paws and tail and ear-tips. It’s a very good-looking housecat.
The cat is certainly friendly to Venlar, although she is initially suspicious of Mellia. She likes to jump down on people. Venlar is a good ladder, being so tall. All that day she pounces at him. Then she brings Mellia a half chewed carrot.
