Daja's power shone from the bedroom. Determined, Tris went to the door. 'If you were just going to be a brute to me, I would have stood for it, because when itch comes right down to scratch, you Traders don't know how to act,' she said cruelly. Tris knew from early experience that sharpness spurred Daja harder than kindness. 'But you had no right to frighten poor old Zhegorz out of what wits he's got. You're some kind of talisman for him, and when you tell him to go away, he thinks it means he can't travel with us. Now you get off your behind and go tell him you wouldn't think of leaving him!'
'Later!' Daja cried. She lay in bed on her belly, raising her face from her pillows to talk. 'I'll talk to him later, Tris, and I won't talk to you at all right now, so go away! And insulting my Trader blood won't work, either, you rat-nosed, pinch-coin, gold-grubbing merchant.'
Tris was about to blister the other girl when she caught the ragged tones in Daja's voice. With a frown she walked over and plumped herself on the bed, reining in her whirling breezes until they were still again. Daja turned her face away from Tris too slowly.
'Oh, dear,' Tris said, understanding. Daja's eyes were puffy and wet. Her nose ran. Tris dug out a handkerchief and stuffed it into Daja's hand. When Daja tried to pull the hand away, Tris grabbed her wrist.
Did you really think she would come? Tris asked through their magic. Give up her own place at court, at the empress's side, to live on your generosity? Rizu's proud, Daja. She has every right to be. As Mistress of the Wardrobe she decides what every guardsman and servant in the palace wears. She chooses the imperial wardrobe. What would she have in Summersea compared to all that?
But I love her! cried Daja, accepting the renewed connection between them without a struggle. I thought she loved me!
Tris sighed and patted Daja's heaving back. At least she didn't laugh at you when she found out how you felt, she remarked. At least she didn't turn you into a joke for her friends. And she told you something about yourself you really ought to know: that you're beautiful, and worth loving. Even for just a summer.
All the boys I went with in Summersea after we came back from Kugisko said I was cold, Daja replied wearily. I didn't like kissing them. It was nothing special, like all the books say love is. Then, when I liked kissing Rizu... it was such a blessing. I'm not cold. I was just kissing the wrong people. Even living with Lark and Rosethorn, I never thought that maybe I should try kissing girls. None of them drew me. Have you ever...?
Tris shook her head. No interest, she explained. And the boys don't want to kiss a fat girl like me. They're also scared of me. That doesn't help.
They sat in silence for a long time, Tris simply rubbing Daja's shoulders. Finally Daja pushed herself up and turned over to sit on the bed. 'They made a joke of you?' she asked roughly, and blew her nose.
'Twice,' Tris answered softly. 'After that, I tried not to let boys know when I liked them. One time the boy set up a meeting in a garden. Then he and his friends dumped honey on me. They told me that even a gallon of honey wasn't enough sweets to satisfy a tub like me.'
'I called the rain,' replied Tris. 'To get the honey off me. All right. To run them off, too. But I've been trying to be good about it. About the weather.'
'And the other boy?' asked Daja, getting up to splash water on her face.
'They made fun of him until he came to hate me,' Tris said with a shrug. 'At least both times we left the towns eventually.' She could feel the heat in her face. If there had been light in here, Daja would have seen her humiliated blush. 'I dived into my studies after that and tried not to notice any boys. Most of them just aren't like Briar, you know. He'll drive you commit murder, but the only part of him that's hidden is the good part. And he isn't nasty to any female, have you noticed? Not to the little farm children or the old grannies who want to tell him how beautiful they they were in their prime.'
'That's because he knows Rosethorn would pull him out by the roots and throw him on the compost heap if he was,' Daja said. Both girls looked at each other and giggled softly at the image of Briar thrown out with the rotten leaves of cabbage and the heaps of dead weeds.
When they had quieted, Daja suddenly kissed Tris on the cheek. 'I had forgotten that Sandry wasn't my only saati,' she whispered. 'Thank you.'
--
Mage kit in hand, he went to Daja's room. She slept as soundly as the others. Once more, Briar uncorked his wake-up potion and put the vial under her nose. She gasped, choked, and opened her eyes. Coughing, she swung a fist out to clip Briar's head. Expecting it - the potion had that effect on many people - he dodged the blow.
'Kill me later,' Briar told her as she scrambled to get at him. Some belbun nicked Sandry, and he's got a serious mage in his pocket. If he isn't the mage himself.'
Daja rubbed her eyes. 'What's in that poison?'
'Just the biggest wake-up weeds I know, spelled to crunch through any sleep spell. That's how they got us in Gyongxe, sleep spells.'
Daja pulled a sack out of her mage kit and began to put items in it. She wore only her medallion, a breast band secured with a tie looped around her neck, and a loincloth. Her lack of clothing didn't seem to concern her. 'One of these days you're going to have to tell me about what happened in Gyongxe,' she said, turning a spool of fine wire over in her hand before she stuffed it into the bag. 'And not that "It was just a war" pavao.' She straightened. 'Let's go smelt this down and see what floats.'
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musetrash2012-06-05 01:36 am
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Daja's power shone from the bedroom. Determined, Tris went to the door. 'If you were just going to be a brute to me, I would have stood for it, because when itch comes right down to scratch, you Traders don't know how to act,' she said cruelly. Tris knew from early experience that sharpness spurred Daja harder than kindness. 'But you had no right to frighten poor old Zhegorz out of what wits he's got. You're some kind of talisman for him, and when you tell him to go away, he thinks it means he can't travel with us. Now you get off your behind and go tell him you wouldn't think of leaving him!'
'Later!' Daja cried. She lay in bed on her belly, raising her face from her pillows to talk. 'I'll talk to him later, Tris, and I won't talk to you at all right now, so go away! And insulting my Trader blood won't work, either, you rat-nosed, pinch-coin, gold-grubbing merchant.'
Tris was about to blister the other girl when she caught the ragged tones in Daja's voice. With a frown she walked over and plumped herself on the bed, reining in her whirling breezes until they were still again. Daja turned her face away from Tris too slowly.
'Oh, dear,' Tris said, understanding. Daja's eyes were puffy and wet. Her nose ran. Tris dug out a handkerchief and stuffed it into Daja's hand. When Daja tried to pull the hand away, Tris grabbed her wrist.
Did you really think she would come? Tris asked through their magic. Give up her own place at court, at the empress's side, to live on your generosity? Rizu's proud, Daja. She has every right to be. As Mistress of the Wardrobe she decides what every guardsman and servant in the palace wears. She chooses the imperial wardrobe. What would she have in Summersea compared to all that?
But I love her! cried Daja, accepting the renewed connection between them without a struggle. I thought she loved me!
Tris sighed and patted Daja's heaving back. At least she didn't laugh at you when she found out how you felt, she remarked. At least she didn't turn you into a joke for her friends. And she told you something about yourself you really ought to know: that you're beautiful, and worth loving. Even for just a summer.
All the boys I went with in Summersea after we came back from Kugisko said I was cold, Daja replied wearily. I didn't like kissing them. It was nothing special, like all the books say love is. Then, when I liked kissing Rizu... it was such a blessing. I'm not cold. I was just kissing the wrong people. Even living with Lark and Rosethorn, I never thought that maybe I should try kissing girls. None of them drew me. Have you ever...?
Tris shook her head. No interest, she explained. And the boys don't want to kiss a fat girl like me. They're also scared of me. That doesn't help.
They sat in silence for a long time, Tris simply rubbing Daja's shoulders. Finally Daja pushed herself up and turned over to sit on the bed. 'They made a joke of you?' she asked roughly, and blew her nose.
'Twice,' Tris answered softly. 'After that, I tried not to let boys know when I liked them. One time the boy set up a meeting in a garden. Then he and his friends dumped honey on me. They told me that even a gallon of honey wasn't enough sweets to satisfy a tub like me.'
'Miserable dung-grubbing pavao,' whispered Daja. 'Did you... lose control?'
'I called the rain,' replied Tris. 'To get the honey off me. All right. To run them off, too. But I've been trying to be good about it. About the weather.'
'And the other boy?' asked Daja, getting up to splash water on her face.
'They made fun of him until he came to hate me,' Tris said with a shrug. 'At least both times we left the towns eventually.' She could feel the heat in her face. If there had been light in here, Daja would have seen her humiliated blush. 'I dived into my studies after that and tried not to notice any boys. Most of them just aren't like Briar, you know. He'll drive you commit murder, but the only part of him that's hidden is the good part. And he isn't nasty to any female, have you noticed? Not to the little farm children or the old grannies who want to tell him how beautiful they they were in their prime.'
'That's because he knows Rosethorn would pull him out by the roots and throw him on the compost heap if he was,' Daja said. Both girls looked at each other and giggled softly at the image of Briar thrown out with the rotten leaves of cabbage and the heaps of dead weeds.
When they had quieted, Daja suddenly kissed Tris on the cheek. 'I had forgotten that Sandry wasn't my only saati,' she whispered. 'Thank you.'
--
Mage kit in hand, he went to Daja's room. She slept as soundly as the others. Once more, Briar uncorked his wake-up potion and put the vial under her nose. She gasped, choked, and opened her eyes. Coughing, she swung a fist out to clip Briar's head. Expecting it - the potion had that effect on many people - he dodged the blow.
'Kill me later,' Briar told her as she scrambled to get at him. Some belbun nicked Sandry, and he's got a serious mage in his pocket. If he isn't the mage himself.'
Daja rubbed her eyes. 'What's in that poison?'
'Just the biggest wake-up weeds I know, spelled to crunch through any sleep spell. That's how they got us in Gyongxe, sleep spells.'
Daja pulled a sack out of her mage kit and began to put items in it. She wore only her medallion, a breast band secured with a tie looped around her neck, and a loincloth. Her lack of clothing didn't seem to concern her. 'One of these days you're going to have to tell me about what happened in Gyongxe,' she said, turning a spool of fine wire over in her hand before she stuffed it into the bag. 'And not that "It was just a war" pavao.' She straightened. 'Let's go smelt this down and see what floats.'