Closed [Smokesend Plantation] Bountiful Harvest (Fiora, Inari)

[Fiora Radacke]

Fiora Fiora was grateful for her friend suggesting some drinks, because she was very thirsty from her ride and from her nerves. When the slave dropped off the pipe and the water, she grabbed the drink first and sipped it as politely as possible, even though she wanted to drain the glass. When she had quenched her thirst, she set the glass down and picked up the pipe. Beautifully carved, the pipe was light and finely shaped. Fiora ran her fingers over the grooves, marveling at the intricacy. The Radacke men who smoked carried heavy, crudely cut pipes that somehow looked appropriate between their meaty fists, but these Rajor pipes were elegant and smooth. She said as much to Nala. "These are magnificent! Such handiwork..." Fiora studied the instrument some more, also glancing over at Inari's pipe to appreciate its craftsmanship, too. She was probably trying to delay the inevitable, because she had never smoked before and didn't want to look a fool in front of her hostess. Still, she was interested in trying it, even though she had never seen tobacco that was such a pretty deep green until now. Fiora reached for some of the tobacco, pinched a little between her fingers and placed it into the bowl of her pipe. She had no idea if it was too much or not enough, so she waited to see how Inari filled hers. She mused over Nala's statements about snakes. In truth, she had always abhorred the creatures, for in the desert around Yahebah, snakes were deadly. It was only the most prudent traveler who escaped their fatal bites. Yet she supposed she could find a certain grace to their slithery movements, even a certain poisonous rhythm, so it wasn't difficult for her to imagine that their speech would be poetic, as Nala had said. Even so, she prayed to Yahal that the Dhani before them would never turn into a serpent before her eyes, or Fiora would most certainly keel over in sheer fright.

[Inari Lorak]

Inari stared intently at her pipe, running her fingers over its surface and turning it round and round in her hands. It was not only beautifully crafted, but also an incredibly pleasing shape. The way it flowed and curved was simple, yet elegant and captivating--kind of like the Rajor estate itself. Nonetheless, the Lorak found herself fiddling with the pipe, nervous about her first try. She looked over and saw Fi more or less feeling the same way, and decided to throw caution to the wind. Pinching some of the fine looking tobacco, Inari poked some into the end of her pipe, careful not to pack it in too tight as Nala had advised. She then picked up a match a slave had provided on the table, struck it, and lit the leaves. Waving the match to extinguish it, she raised an eyebrow at each of her friends, then took a little puff. Not the lungs, not the lungs, not the lungs, she repeated to herself. Too late, she realized she didn't know where else to send the smoke. Through her nose? Back out her mouth? She could taste the tobacco now, which was slightly spicy. Unsure of what to do next, she simply blew it back out with a cough, reaching for her glass of water. The aftertaste was rather sweet, and she was surprised to find it wasn't all that bad. In fact, it tasted rather silky and pleasant, though she was quite sure her first try was less than graceful. "I'm afraid," she said with a light wheeze, "that my technique may be horribly lacking. How does one do this, um...smoothly?"

[Nalahessarajor]

Nala nodded as Fiora spoke. “Thank you very much… for the mossst part our pipes are carved by ssslavesss, though I have been trying my hand at woodcarving rather recently. I mussst admit, I am atrociousss at the craft, however.” She shook her head, dismissing the idea. She felt she could never handle so delicate and intricate as woodcarving. Her race was far too strong and brutal to handle such a task. However, she tried. She held back from laughing as Inari choked on her first taste of smoke, she wouldn’t want to embarrass her guests. Instead she masked her amusement with a pleasant and helpful smile. “Oh, dear. Allow me to demonssstrate. I ssseem to have forgotten how difficult thisss isss for firssst timersss.” She took a pinch of the tobacco, flipping up her iron pipe and gently packing the leaves down into the bowl of the thing. With that, she picked up one of the matches, struck it until it lit, and took a slow draw from her pipe, sucking on it more than she was inhaling. As her pull was about to finish off, she made a show of removing her thumb from the clearing hole so the girls would see it, sending a rush of cool air to accommodate the silky smoke wrapping around her thin forked tongue. This made sure the effect was not stifling, and allowed a bit of a reprieve from the burn of the smoke in her mouth. Then she pulled the pipe away from her lips, slowly exhaling from her mouth. She attempted to make a smoke ring, but it did not go very well and ended more like a huffed cloud. None the less, she ended her performance, making sure the girls knew how it was done. “Any quessstionsss?”

[Fiora Radacke]

Fiora "Oh, Nala!" Fiora exclaimed. "You simply must go to The Velvet Ear and have Ari show you her carvings. She's amazing and a great teacher!" As her friend began to cough a little, Fiora's features scrunched up in concern. "Are you alright?" she asked as Inari gracefully excused herself. The Benshira smiled at her encouragingly, knowing that she was probably going to do much worse. Nala was kind enough to show them how it was meant to be done and Fiora was mesmerized by the exquisite tendrils of smoke in front of the Dhani's face. Nala made it look so simple and she looked so...sultry when she smoked. Fiora was now dying to try it. Stretching across the table to grab a match, Fiora met the Lorak's eyes and grinned devilishly. "Watch how it's done," she said teasingly, though she didn't feel nearly as confident as she sounded. She struck the match and brought the small flame to the tobacco in the bowl of her pipe. The dry leaves lit quickly and Fiora blew at the fire on the end of the match. Then, she put the stem of the pipe to her lips. Attempting to look as smooth as Nala, Fiora inhaled slowly, drawing the smoke into her mouth. It was much tastier than she was expecting and she let it sit on her tongue, which tingled with the sensation. It felt as if she had a mouthful of airy velvet and Fiora closed her eyes, savoring the experience. The smoke seemed to seep up to her sinuses and into her brain and Fiora still held it in, her face turning pinker, then red, then almost purple. She had to breathe. Fiora opened her eyes wide to look at the other two women and gulped, accidentally swallowing some of the smoke. She opened her mouth to cough, but the smoke suddenly poured out of her nostrils. She must have looked like a raging bull! Judging from Inari and Nala's expressions, it must have been a hilarious looking bull, too. Embarrassed but absolutely amused, Fiora burst into laughter, little tufts of smoke puffing out of her mouth and nose still. She coughed in between giggles, her eyes tearing up from the choking feeling in her throat as well as from laughter.

[Inari Lorak]

"Oh, yes, we could arrange something, if you're interested in learning," Inari finally managed after downing another cup of water, watching Nala effortlessly draw the smoke from her pipe. "I always give my friends a special discount, and there's a lovely tea room next door we could grab a meal in. In fact, we--" Inari trailed off as Fi boldly picked up a match, proclaimed her obvious superiority in handling tobacco, and lit her pip with so much confidence the Lorak almost believed it. She made it a point to witness Fi's bouts of daring whenever they arose; they were rather important, and amusing more often than not. For a moment, it seemed Fi had a genuine, natural knack for this. She was savoring the tastes and sensations, almost as though she were some kind of experienced connoisseur. Amazement, however, slowly transformed into concern as the other two ladies waited. And waited. And waited some more, but the smoke had still not found any way out of the Benshira's mouth. And then, all at once, the illusion shattered as Fi did just about the most hilarious thing Inari had ever seen her do. She swallowed the smoke. It came streaming, odd enough, out of her nostrils, her eyes wide with surprise and horror. Inari lost it. She doubled over in her seat with laughter, nearly knocking over her empty glass as she swept her hand across her face to wipe tears of mirth from her eyes. Fi followed suit, puffs of smoke still popping forth, and together they huffed and wheezed and giggled from their failed attempts. "Clearly, we require some practice," Inari said between fits, and then on a complete whim brought the pipe back up to her mouth. In retrospect, it was probably a terrible idea, given her current state. But, for some reason their disastrous first tries shed the last of her inhibition. She simply no longer cared and, with a shrug, poked the pipe into her lips once more. This time, she drew longer, letting the smoke swirl a bit in her mouth, and then, to everyone's surprise--including her own--blew it back out in a steady stream. She narrowed her eyes as though deep in thought, stroking an imaginary beard. "Hmm, yes, I agree. Lady Lorana buttocks have aged rather well, quite like fine cheese," she rasped in a wobbling, manly voice, doing her best impression of the farty old Dynasty men she was often forced to keep company with at social gatherings. "Although, if one must choose, I admit I'd have to go with her esteemed Ladyship's father. Now that is a pair of melons not to be trifled with. Such weight, such sag. Mmphf." Inari wiggled her mouth and nose violently, as though feeling an imaginary itch on her imaginary mustache, then took another long draw from the pipe as she scratched her belly.

[Nalahessarajor]

Nala was as surprised as the others as Fiora boldly took up the pipe, lighting it with proficiency and ease. Nala’s mouth curled into a sharp smile, obviously pleased that her student was doing so well. She seemed to have a true appreciation for the tobacco, which raised Nala’s spirits even further, as she crafted the blend herself. Her pride bolstered, she gently nursed her own pipe, letting out small puffs as she waited for the Benshira to exhale. And so she waited. And waited. And continued to wait, frowning in concern only after the woman’s face began to shift colors. Though she wasn’t entirely sure, she was fairly certain that this was not a common reaction for humans. “F-fiora?” she asked, mildly worried as she locked eyes with the woman…who gulped down the smoke, sending it to her belly rather than out her mouth. Nala’s eyes widened as she reminisced, remembering that being one of the mistakes she had made in her youth. The poor girl would be belching smoke for chimes on end! Then quite a bit of smoke surged from Fiora’s nostrals, the absurdity of the image locking itself into the Dhani’s mind. Nala gaped, unable to completely process what just happened. And before she knew it, she was nearly falling from her seat, laughing as hard as she was. She had to grip the table to save herself from falling! Between fits of laughter she managed to cough out the words “Benshiran Bull,” before falling apart once more. Nala had never laughed so hard in her life, her home being a place of cold, analytical beauty. Humor was not among the concerns of her family, and as such she had not encountered much humor aside from that involving humor at the expense of slaves. The fact that she had so much fun with these women made her wonder how much more there was out there in the world that she had missed living such a sheltered life. More than ever, she was motivated to impress her mother and to explore Kenash and the world in its entirety! If this sort of occurrence was novel in her own home at her age, what else was out there that she had she been missing? As she collected herself, Inari began her own jest, though it confused her more than amused her. She had not met many of the men Inari was imitating, but by Fiora’s reaction she assumed that it was nearly as funny as the last occurrence. She merely had to think of Fiora snorting smoke to once again send her into a fit of laughter. After calming herself once more, she wiped the tears from her eyes and set her pipe on the table, looking to the girls and putting on her more earnest tone of voice. “I mussst sssay, thisss isss the mossst fun I’ve had in a very long time. I’m sure we have quite a future ahead of usss, between the three of usss.” She couldn’t help but smile, looking upon her new friends, her first friends that didn’t bear her family name. What other wonders are out there? she couldn’t help but wonder.

[Fiora Radacke]

Fiora Fiora's sides began to ache from laughing so much and she tried to take deep breaths and calm herself down, but every time she looked at one of the other women, a fit of giggles came on. Inari, ever the actress, always did the best impressions. Fiora was certain she'd see a pompous, mustachioed looking mask in the Lorak's shop in the near future. She also hoped that the character would make an appearance at one of the performances because it would be so hilarious. After a few chimes, the Benshiran Bull, as she was sure she'd be called from now on, managed to get control of herself though she still smiled broadly. Glad that Nala was having so much fun, Fiora herself was also thankful for this day, because it was a rare one in her life. She couldn't believe that she had been so hesitant to come in the morning! Nala was so unlike what she and probably others had thought the Dhani were. She was kind and friendly, and definitely had a sense of humor. Picking up her pipe once more, Fiora tried to take another puff, turning her shoulder to her friends so that she wouldn't start laughing in the middle of an inhale. This time was a little better, at least no smoke came out of her nose, though she still coughed daintily a few times after she'd exhaled. The taste of the tobacco was indeed sweet with a little bit of a zing. It was too bad that Bice didn't smoke, because it might help his odious breath. "Anytime you're around Ari you're bound to have a great time," Fiora told Nala. "She's nothing like the rest of the Loraks...at least the ones I've met...in a very good way. You simply must spend more time with us!" Fiora would love to invite both of the women to the Radacke plantation sometime. She could just see how the men of the family would react to tall, powerful Nala. They were used to controlling women...well, to be fair, they were used to controlling everyone but themselves. She would have to come up with a plan to bring Inari and their new Dhani sister there sometime soon.

[Inari Lorak]

Such an explosion of unexpected mirth seemed to break the last of their tenuous barriers, and the three women chatted gaily without fear of offending one another. They exchanged stories, more laughs, and knowing looks as Benshiran and Lorak alike became smoother and smoother with each draw of the pipe. By the time they had finished their pipes and several cups of refreshment, it seemed the showers had lightened considerably outside. Inari found her earlier worries creeping back into her consciousness, no longer restrained by total distraction. Don't be silly, Pina will be alright. She's done this a thousand times on her own. This, Inari had assured herself over and over. Yet, the worry kept sneaking back, like a pestering fly hungry for a morsel of food. She wondered if Fi might have felt the same way of her children, and if it would seem rude to suddenly suggest they leave. Hmm, yes, definitely would seem rude, she decided quickly. It wouldn't hurt to stay a bit longer anyhow, since she and Fi were thoroughly enjoying themselves, and Inari propped her chin on her hand again as she listened to her friends converse, trying not to let her mind stray back towards thoughts of work and assistants.

[Nalahessarajor]

The sun crawled through the sky as the ladies talked, faster than usual in the presence of such fun. Before she knew it, the clouds were clearing to a sky filled with dashing oranges, pinks and reds. The drizzle from midday had long passed, leaving the outside smelling like sweet autumn leaves and fresh rain. Nala shook her head as she laughed, wiping tears from her eyes and gasping for air. The pair that sat across from her had yet to be dull all afternoon, and had kept her so entertained she had nearly forgotten the importance of the harvest outside. She coughed, regaining her composure with a few giggles between words. “I, I’m very sssorry ladiesss but, heh, it ssseemsss our evening mussst sssoon come to an end. The sssun isss sssetting, and I’d hate for you to return to your homesss late for dinner. And, of courssse, I mussst make sssure the ssslavesss have properly harvesssted our tobacco crop before mother returnsss.” She rose from her seat, a wide smile on her face as she offered a hand to each of the girls. “We truly mussst make plansss for further visitsss. I find you two an absssolute pleasssure to be around.” She snapped twice and slaves came to clear the table for them, getting cloaks and such for the girls. “Isss there anything I could offer you before essscourting you to your horssse and raft?”

[Fiora Radacke]

Fiora The bell that Fiora was expected back home was drawing near, yet the Benshira did not want to leave. It was so ironic that she had been dreading this outing just that morning, but it seemed like so long ago. Fiora was thrilled to have made a new friend and she could tell that Inari had also enjoyed herself immensely. "Thank you so much for your kindness," Fiora said to Nala as she rose from the table. "It has been such a pleasure, indeed, getting to know you. We all must get together again soon." Then, Fiora grinned devilishly. "Even if you did try to kill us with your tasty tobacco." She chuckled and took her things from the slave, turning to Nala as the Rajor asked if she could get them anything. "I'm fine, thank you. Better than fine. I've not had such an enjoyable afternoon in quite awhile." She took Nala's proffered hand and gently squeezed the long fingers. Then, she promptly followed Inari out of Smokesend, her mood darkening a bit the minute she stepped outside. She would have to shed happy, content Fiora on her way back to Whiplash and replace her with timid, frowning Fiora. Bice would be very suspicious if she came home in such a fine mood and would not want her to visit Nala again. For some reason, he made it his personal duty to see that she rarely got to enjoy herself. Her shoulders sagged as she contemplated the oppressive situation she had been stuck in for a dozen seasons. Still, she missed the children terribly and hoped they were alright for the day. When her horse was brought, Fiora looked at the women before her. It was a very odd thing, this friendly trio. A Half-Vantha, Dhani, and Benshira. She was certain the group would be a rarity in Kenash, probably the only such threesome in all of Mizahar.