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* Tarri is strolling through the marketplace on a warm, sunny afternoon. She is wearing a dark blue gown, and carrying a basket of parcels on her arm - obviously enjoying taking her time running some errands. * Glossaria stands at a printer's stall, a moderate-sized satchel already weighted down with books over one shoulder. She pushes a lock of green hair from her eyes as she bends to rub a sheet of paper stock thoughtfully between her fingers. * Tarri pauses to peer longingly through the open door of a baker's shop before turning and walking straight into Glossaria. "Oh! I'm sorry, please excuse-- Oh! Lady Anobium!" * Glossaria half-loses her balance and shifts quickly to avoid falling on the books, windmilling her arms a moment before recovering herself. "Tarri! Fancy bumping into you here!" She smiles. "Or being bumped, as the case may be." <Tarri> ::puts a hand on Gloss's shoulder to help steady her:: I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going-- obviously! <Glossaria> ::smiles:: It's alright. I do that frequently. But see-- no permanent damage! ::hitching her satchel up on her shoulder again:: <Tarri> ::smiles in return:: I just can't seem to stop watching everything-- it's all so new! <Glossaria> ::smiling a little wider:: I know *that* feeling, too. ::looking around:: Are you sightseeing? Or getting a few errands in? Or both? <Tarri> ::looks curiously around the printer's stall:: Are you shopping for... for your library? <Glossaria> Food shopping, actually. But I get easily distracted. ::patting the satchel-laden shoulder:: Luckily, *some* of this is what I intended to give in trade. ::blushing:: Tho' *some* of it is new.... <Tarri> ::blushes a little:: Oh, well, Lady Bluestar asked me to run out and get a few things for her. I probably shouldn't dally like this, but everything's so... ::she smiles helplessly:: I don't think she'd mind *too* much, do you? She's so nice... <Glossaria> Lady Cwalinda? ::shaking her head:: I don't think so. If anyone has a reputation for moodiness, it would be Master Bluestar. ::she grins:: But don't tell him I said that. <Tarri> ::giggles:: Oh, no I wouldn't! <Glossaria> ::leans a little closer:: When Mistress Zoya sends me to market, she knows not to expect me back for several hours sometimes, unless she expressly directed me otherwise. <Glossaria> Of course, if they didn't put the printers and booksellers in with the REST of the market, this wouldn't be a difficulty, but.... ::shrugs to indicate she's a helpless victim of fate:: <Tarri> ::grins and looks around the printer's shop again:: So much paper. And look! ::she points at a shelf of bound books:: My da' only had half so many, and he was a scholar! <Glossaria> ::nods:: You need to visit the Tower Library sometime. This is but a fraction of *our* collection size. And that's not even the largest library in Marsember! Though perhaps the most...unusual. <Tarri> ::eyes get huge:: You're not serious? <Glossaria> ::blinking:: Of course I am. I rarely joke about books. <Tarri> Oh... It must take *years* to read them all... ::she looks somewhere between blissful and envious:: <Glossaria> ::cocking her head to one side, considering the question seriously:: Well, I suppose that would depend on how fast one could read, and whether or not one employed magical assistance in reading. And if one was reading for comprehension, or just skimming, or memorizing... <Tarri> ::blinks a moment at Gloss's analysis:: Oh! I almost forgot - is your Mistress back, yet? My da' made me swear I'd pay her a visit at the first opportunity, to thank her... <Glossaria> ::shakes her head:: No, not yet. Though I expect her any day. ::sounding vaguely worried:: Unless there was a long chase. Or... a mishap. <Tarri> A.. a mishap? <Glossaria> ::biting her lip:: Her, ah, method of travel has possible inherent dangers, and... well, she's assisting in the recapture of a convicted war criminal. <Tarri> ::covers her mouth with one hand:: Oh, my! I.. I hope she'll come back safely. Aren't you terribly worried? <Glossaria> Well... I am concerned, and I hope she'll come back soon. ::pausing for a moment, looking troubled:: But my Mistress is a very powerful chaos mage and priestess, and her companions are all seasoned adventurers as well. And I know that she'll do everything in her power to come back safely. <Tarri> ::nods:: Do you ever... What's it like, being a mage? <Glossaria> It's... ::gesturing helplessly with one hand:: I'm not certain it's... describable, to one who's never experienced something similar. ::face lighting:: But magic is... it's so incredible. I can't speak for another's experiences with it, but for me, when I speak a spell... I can *taste* the magic, feel it move through my blood, and it's... ::breaks off, searching for words:: <Glossaria> ...I... I imagine, sometimes, that this is a tiny portion of what it must feel like, to be a god... to create, because you *will* it so. <Tarri> ::smiles:: It sounds wonderful. When I was a little girl, I used to want to be a mage... ::she grins somewhat sheepishly:: At least, when I wasn't hoping I was secretly a princess. <Glossaria> ::smiling:: Ah, the plot of many a children's tale. Not surprising. ::teasing grin:: Though I don't believe there are enough kingdoms, statistically, to support that many lost princesses. At least, not unless every king owned a harem, like the padishahs of the southern lands. <Tarri> A... a harem? <Glossaria> ::nods:: Yes. You're not familiar with the term? ::ducking her head:: I'm sorry, sometimes I forget... <Tarri> ::shakes her head, fascinated:: I don't know much about other lands... <Glossaria> A harem is a group of females associated with one male, usually in a polygamous marital arrangement. <Glossaria> ::seeing Tarri's look:: Meaning, one man with lots of wives. <Glossaria> Well, or vice versa, but that doesn't happen often. Men-- you know. ::giggling:: * Tarri blinks, working her way through Gloss's vocabulary, obviously stumbling over a few words, but getting the gist just as Gloss spells it out. She blushes furiously. "Oh! Really? No! That's so..." She looks around quickly, as if she's expecting to see someone laughing at her. "Really?" <Glossaria> Some of the more... virile padishas of history have had as many as three hundred women in their harem. Though of course, it's not known if he actually got around to servicing them all... <Glossaria> ::nodding:: Really. ::grinning impishly:: I'm sure you're familiar with the practices of a herd of cattle, for example... one bull, many cows. Same thing, in essence. <Tarri> ::blushes even more:: Three... *hundred*? But... how... ::she giggles suddenly:: <Tarri> ::looks almost indignantly at Gloss:: People aren't *cows*. <Tarri> ::giggles again, still blushing:: Do they lead the... the pa... the king around to his wives, like a bull at stud? <Glossaria> Padisha. ::sounding the word out carefully, her voice full of restrained amusement:: No. One of the benefits of kingship is that you can get people to bring your women to *you.* <Tarri> ::repeats the word, then laughs:: I guess if that's the only way I could've been a princess, I'm glad I wasn't one... <Glossaria> Well, statistically, at least. ::eyes shining with glee:: There's always luck, of course, in view of the longer odds. <Tarri> Longer... Oh! Gambling! ::she laughs:: No, I don't think I'd make a very good gambler. Even if my luck has turned for the better lately. <Glossaria> Though I, for one, am glad I'm not a princess. Their lives are *far* too restrictive. <Tarri> ::nods:: Well, when you're a child... ::she smiles:: <Glossaria> ::nodding:: Children are rarely given the *whole* of the story. ::face clouding:: And I've never entirely understood the reasoning for such... <Glossaria> ::wryly:: I suspect a great deal of it stems from parents too tired or embarrassed to answer the flood of questions in the detail most inquisitive children require. <Glossaria> ::smiling, a gleam of battle in her eye:: I rather look forward to becoming a parent someday. <Tarri> ::smiles shyly:: I wanted to be a mother, too. <Glossaria> ::blinking:: Wanted? You want it no longer? <Tarri> ::looks at Gloss, then away:: Well... I do. But after... ::she waves her hand at nothing:: ..everything... ::she sighs:: And now I'm too old. All my old friends have been married for *ages*. <Tarri> But it's nice to help take care of Lady Bluestar's baby. He's so sweet... <Glossaria> ::frowning, blinking again:: How old are you, if you don't mind my asking, Miss Mandeil? <Tarri> Eighteen. <Glossaria> Oh. ::puzzled:: But-- Vallel is nineteen, and he's not yet married. <Tarri> ::looks at Gloss curiously:: But he's a boy. <Glossaria> ::cocks her head questioningly, inviting Tarri to elaborate:: <Tarri> It's okay for boys to wait a while to get married. They're... ::she shrugs:: They're boys. It's different for girls. My da' always said if I wasn't married by seventeen, he'd have to arrange something... Well, that was.. before. <Tarri> ::she blushes a little:: I don't know if he'd pay the dowry, now... <Glossaria> ::blinking:: I don't know why not. The settlement was certainly generous enough that he could spare some for you. <Glossaria> But it doesn't have to be different for girls... ::correcting herself:: Or rather, I would say social patterns differ in the city. <Tarri> Does it? Are they really *that* different? <Glossaria> ::sizing Tarri up:: Well, if this is sufficient example for you, *I* feel as though I'm a bit on the young side for marriage, myself. <Tarri> ::looks Gloss over curiously:: Really? But... ::she shakes her head:: So why are you, then? <Glossaria> Well, I *did* ask Vallel for a year's grace in the form of our engagement. So that I could be sure that this was what I wanted. And... ::a little dreamily:: it *is* Vallel who asked me.... <Tarri> ::smiles:: You seem... very well suited to each other. ::grins impishly:: Do you ever have to... um... put him out? <Glossaria> ::wrinkling her brow:: Put him out? <Glossaria> You mean, in the street? Like a cat? <Glossaria> Or is this a euphemism for refusing sex? <Tarri> No, no! I meant his... fire. His magic. <Tarri> ::blushes at the mention of sex:: <Glossaria> Oh! ::chuckling a little as understanding dawns:: Well, first of all, Vallel uses psionics, not magic. But no. He gave me advance warning of his... uncertain control of his gift, and I made sure to use fireproofing spells. ::looking slightly offended:: I know what safe sex is, after all. <Tarri> ::blushes harder:: Well... ::she giggles a little:: I thought we were being safe, meeting out in the barn... <Glossaria> ::peering curiously at Tarri's face:: Hm... I believed that only adolescent males blushed about sex. Perhaps it's a rural trait? <Tarri> Well, we don't generally just... come right out and *talk* about it... ::she looks around curiously:: City folk talk about it a lot? <Glossaria> ::grinning:: No, under normal circumstances, that would be *discreet* but not necessarily *safe.* <Tarri> Well, I didn't *know* he was going to set fire to everything! It would've been perfectly safe if it wasn't for that! <Glossaria> Well... ::looking moderately embarrassed:: Perhaps... not as such. But they do appear to be more comfortable in general with the topic. ::looking rueful:: I'm afraid I nearly gave poor Sanriel apoplexy. <Glossaria> ::widening her eyes:: Well, not *perfectly* safe. There are certain risks to sex, after all... venereal disease, emotional repercussions... and, of course, babies. <Tarri> You... you were talking to him about it? ::she blushes even harder:: But... you're going to marry Vallel! <Glossaria> Of course I am. We weren't *having* sex! We only discussed puberty in general, and its possible relation on the development of psionics in particular, and the reasons for his own reticence on the topic. <Tarri> ::grins sheepishly:: Well... If I'd got a baby, it would've been okay. I was trying to convince him to marry me, after all. As for emotions... ::her eyes are haunted for a brief second before clearing again:: They wouldn't have been as bad if we *had* done it. <Glossaria> ::putting a hand on Tarri's arm in sympathy as her eyes cloud:: <Tarri> ::blinks:: Oh. I don't know if I could talk about... about it with a *boy*... Not unless he was my husband. Or going to be, anyway. <Glossaria> But... you would have been comfortable with the thought of Vallel marrying you out of paternal duty, rather than out of love? <Glossaria> ::shrugging a shoulder:: Well, I think I *am* a little more open in my questioning than many people are. I'm a sage, after all... or at least, a sage-in-training. How can I be wise if I don't understand people? And how will I understand, unless I ask questions about things that confuse me? * Tarri eyes Gloss uneasily. "Well... Love is the ideal, of course, but..." She sighs and shrugs. "My ma and da' loved each other. But there wasn't anyone in the village I thought that way about. Val was.... I think if he'd been... well, *normal* - we would have gotten married, and maybe we would eventually learned to love each other. It's more than most village girls get." She looks a little wistful. <Glossaria> ::grimacing:: And people's attitudes towards love and sex are rarely logical, I'm afraid. <Tarri> ::smiles a little:: Well, if you're going to ask questions about things like this, you just have to remember how they feel about it. I mean... I don't know about city folk, but in the village, s... ::she blushes again as she forces the word out:: sex is something very private. <Glossaria> But... if village girls are unhappy about their marital prospects, why aren't they encouraged to travel? It would certainly be better for the local gene pools.... <Tarri> ::looks at Gloss slyly:: How much travel have *you* done? Do you know how much it *costs* to travel? <Glossaria> ::nodding ruefully:: I apologize if I offended you. I *do* often forget. ::smiling:: Thank you for reminding me. <Tarri> ::shakes her head:: I'm not offended. Just.... surprised, I think. <Glossaria> Well... ::blushing as she admits it:: Not a great deal. Although with basic skills, and the ability to live off the land, and a willingness to endure some moderate temporary hardship... it costs nothing to walk, does it? <Tarri> Besides, I don't think most girls are unhappy. All they want is someone strong enough to take care of them and provide for their children, really. Da' always said reading would make me fussy, and I guess he's maybe right. <Glossaria> ::laughing:: Reading makes one more knowledgeable, and knowledge increases both curiosity and discernment. I'm not certain that's a *bad* thing. <Tarri> ::widens her eyes:: Walk? And be alone, outdoors, at night? Oh, Lady Anobium, a girl can't do that! What if she encountered bandits, or... or worse? <Glossaria> ::dryly:: I don't doubt the king's justice so strongly to believe the main roads are aswarm with bandits. And a girl is just as capable of self-defense as a boy is... it's a matter, again, of knowledge. Training, if you will. ::grinning:: Or you could always have some handsome stranger come to your rescue. <Tarri> ::shakes her head:: I don't think there'd be *time* to learn defense. Not for the farmer girls, anyway. ::she grins:: And being rescued makes for fine stories, but you can't count on it... <Glossaria> ::firmly:: No. You can only count on yourself. And if boys have time for the militia, a girl should have enough time to learn defense. It's important... and it's useful. ::looking rueful:: I know *I'd* be dead at least three times already, had Mistress Zoya not taught me wards first thing. <Tarri> But that's just it! You've got *magic* to defend you! I bet that didn't take as long to learn as it would to learn to... to fight, the way a regular girl would have to fight! And boys *don't* have time for militia, either - they just have to up and leave their families without their help when the lord calls! <Glossaria> Oh. ::face falling:: But... ::brightening again:: Temire learned to fight, you could ask her! And she's learned a little magic, too, from Mistress Aldis, so she has a perfect point of comparison! ::excitedly:: I never thought of that aspect... I can ask her, when next I see her. <Glossaria> And... and... Mistress Lisl knows how to fight, and Michelle, and Tyl, ... well, Meghan's a newcomer, too, but... ask Mistress Cwal! I'd wager she learned, too! Mistress Zoya knows some, too, but I think Mistress Lisl taught her. <Tarri> ::blinks:: City women? <Glossaria> Mistress Lisl lives in the city now, but she grew up in the woods. She's half-elven. But-- Lady Elgara'a's not city-bred, either. And while she's not a standard example of females of her culture, all Bedine women *do* at least learn the use of a knife for defense. <Tarri> ::she shrugs:: Maybe city women have time to learn to fight, Lady Anobium. Or... or the strong ones, the ones who would fight anyway. There was a girl in our village who ran away to join the rangers. But most of them would rather stay in the village, and obey their parents - more or less - and do their work, and marry a strong man to take care of them. <Tarri> ::looks uncomfortable:: And I don't think I could learn to fight... I mean, maybe I could learn the... the drills, or whatever. But I don't think I could actually *hurt* someone, even if they were attacking me. <Glossaria> ::slowly, thinking hard:: I think... everyone has that *potential* in them, if they were pressed... if something they really loved-- their life, or a child-- were threatened. You could surprise yourself. <Tarri> ::shudders:: I don't want to think about it. <Glossaria> ::curiously, cocking her head:: How did you feel towards Vallel, right after... the accident? <Tarri> ::looks at Gloss with wide eyes:: He terrified me. I couldn't even face him when he was leaving, and Da' threatened to beat me. <Tarri> ::quietly:: I'm still a little scared. <Glossaria> You weren't mad at him at all? <Tarri> Mad? ::she looks bewildered:: Why would I be mad? <Glossaria> Oh, but...::taking Tarri's hands into hers, looking into her face:: Vallel would *never* hurt you, not if he could ever keep himself from it! He... ::face falling:: Well, he's been through a great deal, since coming here.... <Glossaria> Well... ::smiling a little:: I'd be pretty mad at a boy who embarrassed me like that. <Tarri> I... I know he wouldn't *mean* to. But.. but he didn't mean to set the barn on fire. It's... There's nothing I could do to save myself, if it happened again. It's scary. <Tarri> Oh, no! I knew even then that he didn't do it on purpose! And it was even my suggestion we were in the barn at all! He just... ::she shrugs helplessly, then says quietly:: *He* didn't do anything wrong. <Glossaria> ::looking down at her hands, speaking quietly:: With magic, there's such... potential. I can do so much, and... I *have* to think about things like that. What if I hurt someone by accident... am I capable of hurting someone deliberately, and if so, under what circumstances... could... could *I* ever... lose control.... <Glossaria> ::looking up quickly:: Oh, but-- well, no, he didn't... start the fire on purpose, anyway. But... the fire got started because of his... um... other intentions. You realize that, don't you? It *wasn't*... just you. <Glossaria> ::grinning impishly:: He would have been just as dangerous if he'd gone behind the barn by himself, to, well... ::coughs:: It was just as well he wasn't home in bed when it happened! <Tarri> ::nods:: Well, yes, of course I realize what... set it off. We were just about to... ::she blushes and continues quickly:: But it was all my idea. It's... ::she laughs somewhat nervously at Gloss's implication:: I don't know. I spent two years wondering if it was something *I* did that made it happen. <Tarri> But even if it wasn't *me*, even if it was just a thing that happened at a bad time... It still wasn't his fault. I was embarrassed, and ashamed, and frightened, but I was never angry. Not with *him*. <Glossaria> Hmm.... this is certainly an interesting lesson in the importance of perspective. ::coughing into her fist:: You realize... according to Vallel, it wasn't *your* idea. But... ::smiling sunnily:: I'm glad you don't hate him. He was very afraid you would, you know. <Tarri> ::she shakes her head:: Oh, no, I could never hate him. <Glossaria> ::sighing:: Well, hopefully, you can get over being afraid of him, too. ::peering at Tarri:: You're not afraid of me, are you? <Tarri> Not... well... not much. ::she smiles shyly:: I haven't seen you do anything to be afraid of, yet. <Glossaria> Oh. Well... ::smiling uncertainly:: I suppose that's something, at least. If it helps, I at least like to *think* I'm a good person. I'd never hurt someone who didn't cause injury first. And... ::grinning a little wider:: Well, I'm a librarian. I'm pretty harmless. <Glossaria> Unless you'd care to get into a battle of wits! <Tarri> ::laughs:: Oh, no, I wouldn't dare! But I'm sure you're a good person, Lady Anobium. It's easy to see how much you and Val love each other. I'm so glad you found each other. <Glossaria> Well, I hope *we* can be friends, too! ::smiling shyly:: You're *much* nicer than what I feared. And please, call me Glossaria. Or Gloss. <Tarri> ::surprised:: Why would you worry about *me*? You might never have even *met* me! ::shyly:: But I'd like to be friends too, L- Glossaria. <Glossaria> Well, yes, but... you *were* Vallel's first love, and... well, you know the old saying about a woman scorned. I was afraid you'd *really* hate me. <Tarri> ::laughs:: Oh, no! ::she takes Gloss's hands:: You *rescued* me! If Val had come home, our parents would've made him marry me, and I would've been... ::she shakes her head:: I don't know what I would've done! <Tarri> Instead, you're both marrying someone you really love, and I got to come here, and get a chance to earn my future. <Glossaria> ::smiling:: So it worked out best for *all* of us! * Glossaria stands staring at Tarri for a moment, smiling a little goofily at the fairy-taleness of it all. <Tarri> ::nods and grins:: I guess so. <Glossaria> Oh! But listen to me go on... and you said you were running errands! Oh, I'm so sorry! <Tarri> ::looks down at the basket on her arm:: OH! I completely forgot! <Glossaria> Please-- is there anything I can help with? Anything you haven't found? Maybe I could come home and apologize to Mistress Cwalindia for you? It *was* my fault, I know I'm a horrible chatterbox. * Tarri fishes a short list out of the bottom of the basket. "Well... There's just a few things left. Maybe you could help..." * Glossaria bends over the list with Tarri, nodding. |
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