20x02
WEEK FOUR | MONDAY
Nyoko was so excited that she had to concentrate to keep her footsteps sedate as she walked the short distance back from the Adept House to the Inn of Comfortable Repose. She had urges to try out dance steps, there in the street, but she contented herself with letting her happiness manifest only in the form of demure smiles bestowed on everyone she passed. She was, of course, an Adept.
That said, when she found the rest of the party still finishing a leisurely lunch in one of the back rooms of the Inn, she couldn't help—well—
bounding ever so slightly up to the table.
"No problem," Kormick was saying. "I'll just ask around and find out who's ordering excessive amounts of booze,
quail eggs, dancing girls, and those weird masks with the pointy noses. Trust me. I can find an indulgence party."
"I have news!" Nyoko announced. "Lord Masa-san—you know: the Head of the Adepts—just asked me to dance the role of Sedellus at
Ehkt's Judgment! He said it's because no one else has overcome so many hardships as I have this year, which makes it fitting even though I'm not a dance specialist. Better yet, Ono Arato has danced Rikitaru for the last three years, and everyone assumes he'll be doing it again. Isn't it wonderful how Kettenek has favored us?"
Everyone stared at her blankly.
"I would advise you to stay well away from anything to do with Sedellus, my dear," Mena finally pronounced.
Heathens. Nyoko took a calming breath to settle herself.
"I was not clear," she said. "On Ehkt's Judgment, in the evening, there is a pageant that reenacts the story of how Rikitaru pursued and executed his erring brother Ehkt. Nearly the entire city attends. Adepts dance all the roles, except for that of Rikitaru, and Lord Masa-san has honored me with the role of Sedellus. I'll have to work very hard if I wish to be ready in time, but I have told him I'll do it."
"Congratulations!" said Savina.
"Yes," said Kormick, "congratulations. I can only hope that this pageant is as fast-paced and hilarious as the Four Fathoms Roast at the Annual Trade Fair and Mass Brawl in Dar Und."
Nyoko frowned, puzzled. "It is a religious affair," she said. "Certainly the dancing is very elegant, very refined, but—"
Kormick waved her off. "I kid, I kid. I'm sure it will be very meaningful in an exhaustingly Sovereign way."
"And a great honor for you, which is exciting. But what do you mean about Kettenek favoring
us? " asked Twiggy.
"Yes, this is why it is such fantastic news. Well, one of the reasons," Nyoko said, still trying to be modest. "You see, one of the most significant parts of the pageant is the moment in which Sedellus dances with Rikitaru—and whispers in his ear."
Nyoko could almost see the wheels turning in everyone’s minds.
"
And," she continued, "the role of Rikitaru is performed by the winner of the day's competitions—typically, the winner of the wrestling matches. Ono Arato has crushed his opponents at wrestling for three years running and danced Rikitaru every time. There is every reason to believe he will do so again this year. They call him the Mountain of Kettenek."
"
The Ono Arato?," asked Twiggy. "The one who's the head of the Kettenite church here in Cauldron? He's one of the synod members we need to contact discreetly." There was a pause, and Twiggy grinned widely. "So five weeks from now, you’ll have an opportunity to whisper in Ono Arato’s ear."
"Lady Nyoko-san," said Tavi, "it's truly excellent news that you'll be dancing Sedellus in the pageant this year."
"Thank you, Signor Octavian-san," smiled Nyoko.
TUESDAY
Twiggy felt Rose's elbow dig discreetly into her side. She followed Rose's gaze toward a greasy-haired man in the corner of the crowded room. He beckoned them with a drunken leer, nodding toward the Go board that was positioned between his spread legs.
"…Oh Gods," swallowed Twiggy.
Rose giggled. "He’s like an older version of that kid in the Academy…what was his name—"
"You’re right! Maurizio Something…" Twiggy gave a mock-shiver as she looked around the Go parlor, scanning the people seated on cushions with tea and gameboards for someone who looked more . . . hygienic.
"Oh, look at Mister Modesty over there," Twiggy pointed discreetly toward a flashily dressed young man bowing a jaunty good-bye to an opponent. "Yikes."
"Picky, picky!" Rose laughed. "Are you learning Go tactics, or choosing a husband?" Before Twiggy could stop her, Rose stepped up to the flamboyant young man. His eyes widened at the sight of two heathen girls, one with gray hair and a miniature dragon on one shoulder and the other half-elven. Rose gestured at Twiggy, eyes twinkling. "My friend here would
love to play with you."
The young man raised his eyebrows flirtatiously at Twiggy. "Oh, really?" he asked.
"Play
Go with you," clarified Twiggy unnecessarily, shooting a glare at Rose and willing herself not to blush.
"Of course," said the man. "I should warn you, ladies, I'm very good... at playing Go, I mean."
"So's my friend," said Rose. "You two are going to be well-matched. I have a feeling."
"Your friend thinks she's a matchmaker, does she?" the man said to Twiggy with a wink. He had a handsome smile and sparkling eyes.
At least this is going to be a very different game than my matches with Ahiko-san in the library…
She smiled back at him. "Your move," she said.
WEDNESDAY
Savina had decided to find herself a chaperone: an older, single, respected Sovereign lady who could shepherd her around the city's social scene. At home, of course, she was officially of-age and would have resented her father's insistence on such a figure, but here in the Sovereignty, where sixteen-year-olds were still considered children, a chaperone would be a mark of her gentility. This would raise her reputation further among the peers she was hoping to impress.
She had found her perfect candidate in Lady Shiwasu, a dignified widow whose husband and children had been killed in the Ketkath. Lady Shiwasu had been reserved when Savina first began to converse with her, as if this young heathen girl might prove to be uncouth, but Savina had persevered with polite small talk and, eventually, made her request for Lady Shiwasu's guidance. This decorous action had, at last, won Lady Shiwasu's complete approbation.
Today, they and a few other select guests were chatting in the parlor of a lord who was newly arrived in town for the summer. Servants circulated through the room, carrying trays of delicate dumplings and refined beverages. Savina reached out to take a glass of plum cordial from one of the trays. As her hand brushed the glass, the man lurched forward and red liquid splashed across Savina's bodice as the glass fell tinkling to the floor.
"Kettenek save us!" exclaimed Lady Shiwasu. "Napkins! Quickly! Sirrah, apologize to Lady Savina-san at once!"
Savina looked up in open-mouthed surprise at the serving-man…and just for an instant, she could have sworn she saw a flash of triumphant anger in his eyes. Then the expression vanished and the man was crouching at her feet to wipe up the spill, apologizing profusely. Arden arrived from the other side of the room to help Savina clean up as Lady Shiwasu offered solicitous advice.
In a moment, it was over: a faint pink mark amid the floral pattern of Savina's dress was all that remained of the incident. Savina knew it must be nothing—she'd never seen the serving-man before, so there was no reason for him to dislike her—but it took her a few moments to shake off the strange conviction that his gaze had been personal.
Lady Shiwasu skillfully led the group into a discussion of the extreme difficulty of finding good help, assuring everyone that she had endured similar hardships. Savina recognized this as an attempt to spare their host's feelings, so she followed her new chaperone's lead. Lady Oroko, another guest, contributed a witty story about an incident last year in which somebody's cook had let a live chicken into a banquet hall, and soon the whole group was gossiping merrily once more.
###
Carrying cordial-soaked napkins, Arden hurried back to her station at the parlor's periphery with Kuro, the man who'd spilled the drink. As she walked, she let her tunic slide a little off her shoulder to show the livid edge of a whipstroke. When they reached the small cluster of servants standing in the room's corner, Kuro murmured, "I hope your mistress doesn't take that one out on you. After all the stuff you've told us about her, when I saw her pretending to be so sweet and innocent, I just couldn't resist."
"If she does, it was worth it," Arden whispered, offering a little smile.
"There's no way you could go serve somebody who isn't so cruel? She really
owns you?" Kuro asked, low. The Sovereign servants were as curious as their masters about strange heathen customs.
"Hennan law says I'm her property," Arden responded, equally softly. "Someone else could buy me, if she'd sell, but the gods know she'd drive a hard bargain."
"Does she really
worship Saint Alirria?" whispered Aya. Aya was Lady Oroko's maidservant. And Lady Oroko's butler, Shen, was a Tidesman. Arden had been developing the story of her grievances against Savina for several days among the servants of Savina's social circle, and now the opportunity had come to see if that slow, patient groundwork would pay off. It was very, very important that Aya go home tonight and gossip to her fellow servants about the Alirrian noblewoman's abused and disaffected slave.
"She drags me awake for dawn prayers every morning," Arden whispered back. "And she's been teaching all your countrymen how to worship Alirria. It's all love and healing and light with her—until she imagines I left a speck of dust on her shoe and then… so much for the goddess." Arden pretended to notice that her tunic was falling off her shoulder. She fixed it with a visibly painful wince and spoke more boldly. "She's a hypocrite. She'd beat me bloody if she heard me say that, but it's the truth."
Aya looked at Arden with wide eyes. "How can
you still worship Alirria, after all that?" she asked.
"Alirria's done nothing for
me," Arden said, with a bitter laugh. "But… " She trailed off. Strategically. Then she looked at Aya pleadingly. "But it's not like I have any choice, do I?"
FRIDAY
Tavi sat with his back straight, not moving a muscle, in another austere office in the Ring of Borders. Phoebe, perched on his shoulder, was silent: even she had sensed the absolute importance of this meeting. Rose, Nyoko, and Twiggy were there, too, all of them nervously quiet. If their meeting went well, in this unadorned blank room, they would win the support of Borders and be one step further around the Circle.
Across the desk from Tavi sat Lord Endo himself, a man with a thin face and severe spectacles, dressed in a kimono. On the desk before him lay the
netsuke that Tavi had given him.
"I formally accept your family's apology for the impropriety of your aunt," said Lord Endo. "And I thank you for the gift. The craftsmanship is admirable."
"I thank you for honoring our family by receiving it," answered Tavi. He'd been fairly confident that the first part of this meeting—the on-the-record part—would go well. What came next was the real challenge. "I must, unfortunately, now beg your indulgence for a second impropriety, this one on behalf of the Inquisition."
Lord Endo looked at him steadily, silently.
"We have come here to give you warning of a grave matter," Tavi continued. "There are forces at work in Cauldron which would disrupt the flow of government, and we are attempting to go the long way around the Circle to stop them. Have you heard of the Restless Tide of the One True Path?"
Lord Endo nodded, once. "I have."
Tavi took a deep breath and began to explain about the Tide conspiracy led by the Mother Superior. Lord Endo's face remained stonily formal, unreadable. When Tavi finished, Lord Endo turned to Nyoko.
"Do you stand as Witness for the Inquisition's credibility in this matter?"
"I do," Nyoko bowed.
Lord Endo turned back to Tavi. "What has the Ring of Borders to gain from becoming involved?" he asked.
Tavi thought fast, remembering the research that Nyoko and Twiggy had conducted on this man. Endo was—as he appeared—utterly upright, valuing orderly systems and proper hierarchy. "The Tide are only beginning their campaign of disorder," Tavi said. "They have already subverted justice by attempting to frame innocents for the crime of heresy. They will not stop there. They will continue to disrupt law and government until they get their way."
"With your permission, my lords," Twiggy spoke up, "I would add that the Tide's agenda is specifically isolationist. I imagine that the Mother Superior will seek especially to disrupt the independence of your Ring, Lord Endo-san, because she and her followers will wish to control or curtail all international activities."
"The Tide's agenda is displeasing," allowed Lord Endo. "But I have seen no significant evidence of their power. Why should I seek this fight before it finds me?"
"Because, with respect, the fight is inevitable," said Tavi. "The earlier and more decisively we act against the Tide, the more likely it is that the Circle will remain stable and uncorrupted."
Silence fell. A moment passed. Lord Endo's eyebrows and lips tightened slightly as he considered. Then: "I will support you—on one condition," he said. He took a deep breath. "The governor of Cauldron's third son, Aga Aki-san, is a bumpkin and an ass. Humiliate him publicly, and I will do this."
A DUEL! Tavi, a duel, a duel, you can provoke him and we can have a duel!!
"That is a … fascinating and delicate request," Tavi said, swallowing his astonishment. "We will look into it and … do our best?"
"Splendid. My secretary will see you out," said Lord Endo, and gestured to the door.
DM’s NOTE: This scene unlocked a new challenge:
HUMILIATE AGA AKI-SAN
Make the third son of the governor look like an ass in public to win the support of the Ring of Borders.
SATURDAY
At their regular weekend meeting in the House of the Inquisition, Tavi was gratified to see that Lord Ono—for once—was pleased. "So you have won the support of Borders," he said.
"Provisionally," said Twiggy. Tavi heard the wariness in her voice. None of them were quite sure what the ramifications of Lord Endo's odd request would be.
Lord Ono chuckled. "He's not wrong about Aga-san. You may feel confident that most of the city will share his amusement if the young man falls into some embarrassment."
A small bell began ringing on the wall above Ono's desk. He stared at it almost as if he didn't understand what it meant. "That," he said slowly, "is an alarm bell. From the dungeon where we are keeping the
Tidesman Kawazu."
Tavi felt like his blood flashed into flame. They all sprang to their feet—steel rasped as blades were drawn—"Rose, stay here," Mena said—and then they were running for the dungeon.
)
