Getting to Know the Family

[Irea Rasar]

10th of Fall, 513 Third Bell of the Afternoon Irea was buoyant; she had a new sister! The healer had been desperate to have someone to share her empty tent with. The silence of sleeping alone drove her mad. For a tent to feel homey, it needed more than one person. She was leading her sister toward her tent, eager to show the other woman her new home. The healer dodged under and around ropes that fastened tents to the ground without thinking, never even breaking stride for the obstacles. Irea was silent for some time, considering how best to introduce herself. The healer hadn't thought of how to do that, but decided that being straightforward would be best. Glancing over at the woman--What was her name again?--she said, "You sister. Name? Irea." Irea gestured to herself, giving an example before quirking an inquisitive eyebrow at the woman. The words were in Common, of course. Most of the new family members couldn't speak a word of Pavi, much less interpret the hand signs. Many outsiders said they were too complex. They all got used to the language eventually, however. Common really was such a flat, harsh tongue. The healer found it difficult to convey the full meaning of her words without the use of her hands. Because of this her hands moved about in expressive gestures native to Pavi. Though Irea frequently stilled her hands, she always forgot herself and expected others to understand their meaning. In this case, the word 'sister' held a deep, friendly meaning, though the healer's actual tone was a bit clipped.

[Zynya]

Zynya followed behind Irea, studying her hair, it was simpler than most of the other women, but Zynya thought it looked better. She pulled her own long braid forward over her shoulder, twisting it slightly and holding it like a lifeline as she looked around at the tents and the people staring at her.

Everything was so different, you couldn't get farther from Syliras unless you were sitting among the clouds. The open air made her lungs feel tight, the smell of grass and horses made her throat itch, and seeing all this space in broad daylight made her want to run screaming for her tiny room back in the city.

What was that? The lady who had bought her was trying to speak to her. Ah, so her name was Irea, what an odd name. Sister? What did she mean by that? Zynya touched the base of her throat with her right hand. "I'm Zynya. Where are you taking me?" To Zynya, Pavi sounded like the horses she had been tethered near on the way to Endrykas. Like a horse whuffling into grass and making that low throaty noise they made.

[Irea Rasar]

"I'm Zynya. Where are you taking me?" Zynya. Strange name. It made Irea think of something bouncy, for some reason. It wasn't a bad name, however. "Home." Was Irea's reply, "New home." The healer picked up the pace, quite eager to show off her tent. She occasionally nodded to another healer, always white-garbed and generally male; most of the best healers were Ankals, and Ankals were almost exclusively male. Few recognized the healer, and most of the verbal exchanges she had were short and polite, with no mention given to Zynya. It was mostly about why Irea wasn't working right now, much to her annoyance. Surely even in these busy times she would be permitted a single afternoon off. "I heal." She mentioned after a moment or two, "Is job." With that, the healer looked inquisitively at Zynya. The woman was well past marrying age, though not so far as Irea herself was, so she surely had a trade she practiced. Or was she one of the wealthy sort, who married into status instead of properly earning it? The healer hoped not. Such a sister would be a shame to her.

[Zynya]

Zynya blinked at Irea...home? She twisted her braid and forced herself not to hyperventilate. She had been fine the entire trip here, almost in a trance, but now it seemed different. She felt pricking behind her eyes and blinked rapidly, she would not cry in front of strangers. She ducked her head and focused on Irea's halting common.

"Oh, that's nice. I...I just helped. I wasn't good enough with numbers to be a clerk, and there weren't any openings for couriers. I earned most of my wages by doing odd jobs, cleaning, running errands for Lady Annella." Zynya stopped speaking, her cheeks flushed, she felt horribly inadequate.

Her next words were almost a whisper. "I never really knew what to do with myself." She looked off to the side, longing to go running, she didn't feel inadequate when she was running.

[Irea Rasar]

The healer occasionally glanced at her new sister out of the corner of her eye, trying not to stare too openly. She couldn't wait to get to know the woman. Zynya's grip tightened on her long braid and she began twisting it about in a strained fashion. Irea tilted her head in confusion at that; it was clear that the woman was upset, but why? Zynya lowered her head as she answered her sister's query. "Oh, that's nice. I...I just helped. I wasn't good enough with numbers to be a clerk, and there weren't any openings for couriers. I earned most of my wages by doing odd jobs, cleaning, running errands for Lady Annella." Though Irea missed many of the words, she understood the gist of things. Zynya had no profession, but more because of lack of proper training than anything else. With that, Zynya's cheeks reddened deeply. "I never really knew what to do with myself," she nearly whispered, looking sideways at something Irea didn't see or particularly care to. Though she'd only known Zynya for a short time, she felt a responsibility to make the woman feel better. She was family now, after all. "Is good," The healer consoled, forcing the sympathy she felt to show up in her words. Common made that difficult, but she got the point across. "You learn, yes," Irea tried to fall back beside Zynya and wrap an arm around her shoulders. "All good, something." Irea's brows furrowed as she struggled to communicate in the horrid language. Oh, yes; the first thing Zynya would learn from her would be Pavi. Common was no fit language for anyone to speak. As she spoke, they approached Irea's tent--Zynya's too, now. The healer moved to usher her new sister inside with a smile, "Is home," She said, gesturing around. "Is empty. New. We fix soon." And it was true; the tent was spartan in its decoration. There was a small place for a fire, as well as some basic cooking utensils and a bedroll. The healer realized exactly how poorly she'd thought this whole venture through; she hadn't even prepared Zynya a place to sleep before the Auction! Well, Irea would need to let her sister have her bedroll for the night. It wouldn't be the first time Irea had gone without one. Deciding to adopt someone during the Auction had been an impulsive decision, and she'd need to make proper accommodations soon. "Is good, yes?" Irea asked, casting a hopeful glance in the other woman's direction. Zynya surely knew little of Drykas standards of living, but Irea still wished for her approval. She'd seen more than a few new Drykas treat their new family with spite; the healer very much hoped that would not be the case with Zynya.

[Zynya]

Zynya looked up at Irea as she put her arm around her. And for the first time since she had been taken, Zynya felt like maybe things weren't as horrible as she believed. She swallowed a few times, she was still horribly homesick, and likely would be for a good while. She had left behind friends, family, and what she had someday hoped to be a lover. But all that was in the past now, maybe one day she would go back, but Zynya understood that the Sea of Grass was a very dangerous place. She would not be the fool who took the first chance she had to run blindly into the wild, no, she would stay and learn, then maybe she would travel home someday.

Entering the tent Zynya looked around and stepped inside. It was bigger than it had appeared during their approach. "There's so much empty space..." Zynya's home had been cramped with furniture and family belongings. The apartment her family owned had been in use by their family since her Father was a child. She'd never seen any home look so bare, ah, Irea mentioned it being new.

Zynya ran her hand along the thick material of the tent wall, it was in good condition. The way the ceiling was low without being too low, that was nice, and the ground wasn't nearly as hard as the stone floor from home, she could get used to this. She looked at Irea, the woman looked so hopeful, Zynya couldn't help but give a tiny smile. "Yes, it's good."

Presently Zynya felt restless, she could really use a stretch. She inhaled as she reached her fingertips up, she couldn't reach the ceiling of the tent, then she bent at the waist and held the back of her ankles as she touched her forehead to the tops of her shins. She took a few deep breaths and then straightened before doing a very slow backbend, leaving her feet where they were and bending backward to touch the ground with her palms. She thought of completing the walk-over but decided she hadn't stretched enough and lowered herself to the ground. She then proceeded to touch her head to her shins again, but now in a seated position, all the while breathing slowly. She could already feel herself calming immensely.

[Irea Rasar]

Irea all but beamed with pride at Zynya's compliment. She knew that the structure was nothing when compared with a Pavilion, but it was her own. At least, it was hers until she returned to the Rasar Pavilion. The healer had it on loan from her family, to use in Endrykas until she had learned all she could. Irea supposed that it was partially Zynya's now, too. After a few moments, the healer seated herself beside the burned-out fire in the center of the room. It still gave off a few meager traces of warmth, and she prodded at the embers with a stick that she kept in her tent for that very reason, trying to stir it to life. The embers flickered to life, and the healer quickly added a handful of dry grass from the small pile of kindling and smiled as it caught alight. This done, she glanced over at her new sister and blinked in surprise. The woman was bent backwards! Zynya's hands were resting on the ground behind her, and she was bent almost double. Irea would surely have snapped her spine before even getting close to that angle. The healer gave her sister an admiring look and continued to watch for a few moments before commenting, "No good anything?" She asked incredulously, "Is good. Much good." The healer wasn't quite sure exactly what such dexterity was good for, but it surely showed potential in one of the physical arts. Irea just didn't know which one. She'd never been a very athletic person as Drykas went, though even she had been in better shape than most of the soft women brought in recently. The healer didn't think she was stronger than Zynya; and she certainly wasn't as nimble. It was very impressive.

[Zynya]

Zynya stood again and walked over to crouch across from Irea. "I used to spend time with these people back home. They taught me how to bend and move more than most people do. There wasn't a guard in the city that could chase me more than a few halls. I'm good at vaulting to, that's jumping over stuff." She added the last bit in case Irea didn't know the word vaulting in common.

She stared at the small fire, it seemed to be glowing almost happily now. "Fire." She said, "How do you say that in your language?"

Zynya couldn't help but begin to warm a bit to Irea. She had been nothing but kind, if maybe a little more upbeat than most people Zynya knew, she obviously was trying to make Zynya feel welcome. Zynya idly picked up a slightly burnt twig and poked at some ash at the edge of the fire.

[Irea Rasar]

The fact was, Irea understood little more than the general concept of Zynya's words. What were 'halls'? Why would someone guard something and chase her at the same time? All the healer understood of the other woman's words was that she was fast and good at jumping. "Is good," She said once more, "We find place for you." There certainly was a place for her; everyone had their work to do in Endrykas. Soon, Zynya would be one among their number. The healer really had to remember to get her linked to the web as soon as possible. Irea was only vaguely familiar with the actual workings of the weave that encompassed the whole of the Sea of Grass, but she understood the concept well enough. It was a vast net spread over the land, letting the Ankals know about everything that came or went. Nothing could harm them as long as it was in place. Similarly, any person could be found once tied to the web. Drykas children simply never went missing for long; then again, the Sea of Grass did not need long to destroy such a fragile life. As her sister began to play with the fire, Irea considered her. Few cared to pick up Pavi so quickly. The delight showed on the healer's face as she answered, "Fire. Fire." The word sounded a bit harsh, but a subtle movement of Irea's left hand differentiated the meaning. With a different gesture, the word would mean a brush fire that could cause Pavilions to burn to the ground, or a large bonfire. As it was, the word carried a tone of security and survival, yet with a slightly intimate touch that indicated that the fire was one for personal use, not a communal bonfire. The fire she was referring to was a friend, not a foe. She repeated the word slowly a few times before offering Zynya an encouraging smile. "Is your speak, too."

[Zynya]

"Fire." Zynya repeated, making the hand gesture, it wasn't as fluid as Irea's of course. "What do you mean?" Zynya lowered herself into a seated position and criss-crossed her legs. It would definitely take a while to learn even these basic words. What did Irea mean by 'is your speak too'? It was her language too?