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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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<blockquote data-quote="Ilex" data-source="post: 5153480" data-attributes="member: 82687"><p><strong>11x04</strong></p><p></p><p>Nyoko was looking forward not only to hot baths and a return her home, but also—at an admittedly more shallow level—to new clothes. Her current garments had so far survived the initial assault by the derro upon her caravan … enslavement in the mines … battle with the undead … and now near immersion in quickrock. Truly, it was a testament to their maker that they had survived all that and still managed to fulfill the most basic requirements of modesty and rudimentary protection from the elements. Luckily, in the middle of the wilderness, basic modesty and some warmth was all she really required of her wardrobe. At least the heathens didn’t expect to see Adepts always perfectly dressed and coiffed, with immaculate face-paint and complete symbolic adornments. On her last posting, Lord Orijo’s people so often behaved as though they had caught her naked if she answered the door to her chambers with her hairpin askew. <em>As though we sleep like statues</em>, she thought, with mental eye-roll.</p><p></p><p>And if these heathens failed to grasp the true solemnity, or even purpose, of her role as an Adept –could they really be blamed, when she looked as shabby as they did? In unconscious habit, Nyoko’s right hand reached up to touch the tattoo on her neck. There was a reason why Adepts wore their oaths on their skin. <em>I am an Adept. They cannot take that from me while I live.</em></p><p></p><p><em>And I am alive</em>, Nyoko reminded herself firmly. <em>Some days, that's adept enough.</em> With that, she felt better, and cheerfully traded ruminating on her own situation for studying the behavior of the heathens as they walked along through the forest. </p><p></p><p>Savina was preoccupied by something. That much seemed obvious from the evidence: the girl's eyes were directed aimlessly into the trees, and she nearly stumbled over a root as Nyoko watched her. Savina caught herself gracefully, but soon her eyes had drifted off again. She wasn't picking up her feet very much, either – a sign of tiredness that, in addition to her apparent mental preoccupation, aggravated the risk that she'd trip again. </p><p></p><p>Mena and Twiggy were whispering about something. The whispering soon extended to encompass Arden, who mostly listened, nodding. Then Mena made her way up the line of hikers next to Tavi, tapped his shoulder, and whispered to him.</p><p></p><p>Soon, the only people not included (besides the dwarves, who were walking in their own group a few paces behind) were Savina and Nyoko. Savina, Nyoko hypothesized, hadn't even noticed the conference. Nyoko found herself sorry to be left out, though she understood that these heathens still thought of <em>her</em>, ironically, as the foreigner. </p><p></p><p>Then Twiggy was at her elbow, whispering. "Nyoko-san, we're planning something special tonight. It's Savina's birthday. We're going to have a party, somehow. Do you – " she hesitated suddenly. "Wait – you <em>do</em> have parties in the Sovereignty, don't you?"</p><p></p><p>Nyoko cocked an eyebrow, thinking of Hiroshi's wild drumming in the Adept dormitory while Aya and Kiku danced and Akio taught her a surprising new technique in a dim corner on the last night before she'd left … </p><p></p><p>"Yes," she said mildly. "We have parties."</p><p></p><p>"It's Savina's <em>sixteenth</em> birthday," Twiggy added. "Normally there'd be a huge event to celebrate her coming-of-age."</p><p></p><p>"A year early?" asked Nyoko, then caught herself as a dimly remembered bit of information surfaced in her brain. “No, it is different for you, yes?”</p><p></p><p>"Yes, when you're sixteen, you're an adult … at least where we come from."</p><p></p><p>"Of course," said Nyoko, filing away this detail anew. "In the Sovereignty, legal adulthood begins on the seventeenth birthday. Naturally, I should be pleased to play music if we pass some likely looking reeds from which I may construct a flute. It will be crude, but … "</p><p></p><p>"That would be lovely," said Twiggy. "Don't tell Savina," she added, unnecessarily. </p><p></p><p>Nyoko found the reeds.</p><p></p><p>That night, she caught a wink from Twiggy and, on cue, began to play a cheerful tune as Arden and Mertal, the dwarven chef, walked up to Savina, Arden carrying the cook-pot and Mertal a bowl and ladle. Mertal dipped stew into the bowl and presented it to Savina with a flourish. </p><p></p><p>"Happy birthday, young lady!" he proclaimed. </p><p></p><p>Savina gasped delightedly. "I didn't think anybody knew!" she said.</p><p></p><p>"We may be out in the wilderness, but we're not <em>completely</em> uncivilized," said Twiggy, grinning, as she crowned Savina with a wreath of wildflowers. </p><p></p><p>Mena gave Savina a warm hug. "Happy birthday, young woman," she said.</p><p></p><p>Rose hugged Savina next. "Welcome to being sixteen," she said. "I can't say adult responsibility is all it's cracked up to be, but it's definitely… something." She gave Savina a wry smile. </p><p></p><p>"I – I'm learning that," Savina answered. "I was thinking today … I can't believe that a couple months ago I was only worried about dresses and dance cards." Rose squeezed her hand.</p><p></p><p>Tavi stepped up, his hummingbird flying figure eights above his head, and handed her small blue object. "It's an Alirrian holy symbol," he explained. "Twiggy helped me weave it from grass, and Phoebe found berries to dye it."</p><p></p><p>"I – oh – thank you, Tavi!" Savina was beaming. Tavi leaned in quickly, kissed her on the cheek, and walked away, leaving Savina speechless.</p><p></p><p>In a flash of inspiration, Nyoko lowered the makeshift flute from her lips and spoke up. "This," she announced, "is a traditional Sovereign <em>dancing</em> song." She raised the flute again and played the sprightly opening notes of "The Waltz that Pleased the Lord of the Junction of Three Rivers in Springtime."</p><p></p><p>Tavi, well-bred gentleman that he obviously was, knew what to do. He turned back immediately and held his hand out to Savina. "Would you honor me with your first birthday dance, Signora?" he asked. Savina nodded, glowing, and stepped into his arms. They twirled gracefully around the campfire. Nyoko played on, happy that her own little coming-of-age present to Savina had succeeded so well … even though the girl was technically <em>still</em> a girl for another year under Sovereign law.</p><p></p><p>Mertal and Ordren soon joined in, and the dwarven children cavorted happily around the two couples.</p><p></p><p>Rose suddenly stood and walked over to Kormick. "Goodman Kormick," she said, "may I request the honor of a dance?"</p><p></p><p>Nyoko nearly missed a note; she had to fight back a squeak of laughter at the Justicar's surprise. "Oh, no no," he said. "I don't dance – "</p><p></p><p>"I happen to know that they teach dancing at the Sorcerers' Academy," said Rose dryly.</p><p></p><p>"I did not have the <em>greatest</em> of success at the Academy, you know."</p><p></p><p>"It’s not exactly theoretical thaumaturgy. You just dance. It's a party, and you're the only adult male here besides my brother. So… lucky you." </p><p></p><p>"It is smarter to be lucky than smart," Kormick observed. He stood up, took Rose's hand, and led her into the firelight. They joined the other dancers, and Nyoko was somewhat startled to see that the Justicar, for all his protests, was an acceptable dancer. Not, by any means, a <em>good</em> dancer – a rank amateur by Adept standards – but acceptable.</p><p></p><p>Later that night, as Arden finished laying out the dreamy-eyed birthday girl's bedroll and Kormick and Tavi prepared to stand the first watch, Mena came up to Nyoko. "Thank you," she said softly. "It was good to see Rose having fun." </p><p></p><p>"It was my pleasure," answered Nyoko with a small bow.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Ilex, post: 5153480, member: 82687"] [b]11x04[/b] Nyoko was looking forward not only to hot baths and a return her home, but also—at an admittedly more shallow level—to new clothes. Her current garments had so far survived the initial assault by the derro upon her caravan … enslavement in the mines … battle with the undead … and now near immersion in quickrock. Truly, it was a testament to their maker that they had survived all that and still managed to fulfill the most basic requirements of modesty and rudimentary protection from the elements. Luckily, in the middle of the wilderness, basic modesty and some warmth was all she really required of her wardrobe. At least the heathens didn’t expect to see Adepts always perfectly dressed and coiffed, with immaculate face-paint and complete symbolic adornments. On her last posting, Lord Orijo’s people so often behaved as though they had caught her naked if she answered the door to her chambers with her hairpin askew. [i]As though we sleep like statues[/i], she thought, with mental eye-roll. And if these heathens failed to grasp the true solemnity, or even purpose, of her role as an Adept –could they really be blamed, when she looked as shabby as they did? In unconscious habit, Nyoko’s right hand reached up to touch the tattoo on her neck. There was a reason why Adepts wore their oaths on their skin. [i]I am an Adept. They cannot take that from me while I live.[/i] [i]And I am alive[/i], Nyoko reminded herself firmly. [i]Some days, that's adept enough.[/i] With that, she felt better, and cheerfully traded ruminating on her own situation for studying the behavior of the heathens as they walked along through the forest. Savina was preoccupied by something. That much seemed obvious from the evidence: the girl's eyes were directed aimlessly into the trees, and she nearly stumbled over a root as Nyoko watched her. Savina caught herself gracefully, but soon her eyes had drifted off again. She wasn't picking up her feet very much, either – a sign of tiredness that, in addition to her apparent mental preoccupation, aggravated the risk that she'd trip again. Mena and Twiggy were whispering about something. The whispering soon extended to encompass Arden, who mostly listened, nodding. Then Mena made her way up the line of hikers next to Tavi, tapped his shoulder, and whispered to him. Soon, the only people not included (besides the dwarves, who were walking in their own group a few paces behind) were Savina and Nyoko. Savina, Nyoko hypothesized, hadn't even noticed the conference. Nyoko found herself sorry to be left out, though she understood that these heathens still thought of [i]her[/i], ironically, as the foreigner. Then Twiggy was at her elbow, whispering. "Nyoko-san, we're planning something special tonight. It's Savina's birthday. We're going to have a party, somehow. Do you – " she hesitated suddenly. "Wait – you [i]do[/i] have parties in the Sovereignty, don't you?" Nyoko cocked an eyebrow, thinking of Hiroshi's wild drumming in the Adept dormitory while Aya and Kiku danced and Akio taught her a surprising new technique in a dim corner on the last night before she'd left … "Yes," she said mildly. "We have parties." "It's Savina's [i]sixteenth[/i] birthday," Twiggy added. "Normally there'd be a huge event to celebrate her coming-of-age." "A year early?" asked Nyoko, then caught herself as a dimly remembered bit of information surfaced in her brain. “No, it is different for you, yes?” "Yes, when you're sixteen, you're an adult … at least where we come from." "Of course," said Nyoko, filing away this detail anew. "In the Sovereignty, legal adulthood begins on the seventeenth birthday. Naturally, I should be pleased to play music if we pass some likely looking reeds from which I may construct a flute. It will be crude, but … " "That would be lovely," said Twiggy. "Don't tell Savina," she added, unnecessarily. Nyoko found the reeds. That night, she caught a wink from Twiggy and, on cue, began to play a cheerful tune as Arden and Mertal, the dwarven chef, walked up to Savina, Arden carrying the cook-pot and Mertal a bowl and ladle. Mertal dipped stew into the bowl and presented it to Savina with a flourish. "Happy birthday, young lady!" he proclaimed. Savina gasped delightedly. "I didn't think anybody knew!" she said. "We may be out in the wilderness, but we're not [i]completely[/i] uncivilized," said Twiggy, grinning, as she crowned Savina with a wreath of wildflowers. Mena gave Savina a warm hug. "Happy birthday, young woman," she said. Rose hugged Savina next. "Welcome to being sixteen," she said. "I can't say adult responsibility is all it's cracked up to be, but it's definitely… something." She gave Savina a wry smile. "I – I'm learning that," Savina answered. "I was thinking today … I can't believe that a couple months ago I was only worried about dresses and dance cards." Rose squeezed her hand. Tavi stepped up, his hummingbird flying figure eights above his head, and handed her small blue object. "It's an Alirrian holy symbol," he explained. "Twiggy helped me weave it from grass, and Phoebe found berries to dye it." "I – oh – thank you, Tavi!" Savina was beaming. Tavi leaned in quickly, kissed her on the cheek, and walked away, leaving Savina speechless. In a flash of inspiration, Nyoko lowered the makeshift flute from her lips and spoke up. "This," she announced, "is a traditional Sovereign [i]dancing[/i] song." She raised the flute again and played the sprightly opening notes of "The Waltz that Pleased the Lord of the Junction of Three Rivers in Springtime." Tavi, well-bred gentleman that he obviously was, knew what to do. He turned back immediately and held his hand out to Savina. "Would you honor me with your first birthday dance, Signora?" he asked. Savina nodded, glowing, and stepped into his arms. They twirled gracefully around the campfire. Nyoko played on, happy that her own little coming-of-age present to Savina had succeeded so well … even though the girl was technically [i]still[/i] a girl for another year under Sovereign law. Mertal and Ordren soon joined in, and the dwarven children cavorted happily around the two couples. Rose suddenly stood and walked over to Kormick. "Goodman Kormick," she said, "may I request the honor of a dance?" Nyoko nearly missed a note; she had to fight back a squeak of laughter at the Justicar's surprise. "Oh, no no," he said. "I don't dance – " "I happen to know that they teach dancing at the Sorcerers' Academy," said Rose dryly. "I did not have the [i]greatest[/i] of success at the Academy, you know." "It’s not exactly theoretical thaumaturgy. You just dance. It's a party, and you're the only adult male here besides my brother. So… lucky you." "It is smarter to be lucky than smart," Kormick observed. He stood up, took Rose's hand, and led her into the firelight. They joined the other dancers, and Nyoko was somewhat startled to see that the Justicar, for all his protests, was an acceptable dancer. Not, by any means, a [i]good[/i] dancer – a rank amateur by Adept standards – but acceptable. Later that night, as Arden finished laying out the dreamy-eyed birthday girl's bedroll and Kormick and Tavi prepared to stand the first watch, Mena came up to Nyoko. "Thank you," she said softly. "It was good to see Rose having fun." "It was my pleasure," answered Nyoko with a small bow. [/QUOTE]
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A Rose In The Wind: A Saga of the Halmae -- Updated June 19, 2014
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