Private Tales Light After Dark

[Gerrard]

"That you...tape to yourself?" he asked, before waving the question away. That wasn't the important part of what she had said. "Yes, table manners and etiquette. It's just a thing. Once I know what kind of event we're getting invited to we can go over it.

"It's not so complicated anyway. You get a fork, knife and spoon. Maybe a butter knife. The important thing is that everyone is seated by station. From the top of the table down. When the food is put down on the table it's expected that the most important get the choice of the meats first, but everyone can take some bread immediately. Important thing to remember is not to touch food you're not eating so...say they place a goose on the table. Top of the table might carve some pieces of breast for themselves. If you want a leg you hold the leg with your left hand - always the left and only a piece of meat you will take - and cut it free with a knife in your right. That make sense?"

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn blinked rapidly, trying to absorb this. She made motions with her hands, trying to mimic this with the food on the platter. It took more coordination than not, the act utterly inconvenient and even messy. It didn't help that she used a fork and not a knife on the loaf of bread.


"Will we not be sitting with each other then?" That was an apprehensive thought, but it made sense to her that she would be at the complete end of the table. Would they see her for what she was? She was sure they'd recognize it in a heartbeat. She was scrawny and calloused and accidentally set people who bothered her on fire.

Yeah, there was no masking that.

 

[Gerrard]

"Almost certainly. Where we would sit would almost certainly depend on what kind of event it is."

Gerrard waved his knife in small circles in the air as he chewed and considered this.

"Wizards and mages are typically fairly honored guests so I wouldn't expect we would sit far down the table from those who invited us."

He winced suddenly as the implications of this struck him.

"Which does mean you might be in earshot of some of Pa's infamously crude stories. Sorry."

 

[Audreyn]

She cast him a skeptical look. He kept speaking like they would be popular at the event. Like people would want to look at them and talk to them and treat them special, all because...

Well, she could set things on fire.

It didn't matter how often Gerrard told her the world would accept her for what she was, the concept would never compute. She couldn't forget the looks of fear and disgust that followed her out of that inn Gerrard had saved her from. No, if her village felt that way about her than there was no way strangers wouldn't.

"Your world is strange," she murmured, giving up on her table manner endeavor and going back to two hands. She folded into silence, allowing him peace for his meal as mulled over what this week held in store for her.

 

[Gerrard]

"And full of wonders. And tedious humans doing human things. But at least it is less mundane than being a farmer.

"Though I imagine you would find my theoretical work even less interesting than that.

"Oh I should have checked how many candles I've got left before we went to the square," he remarked suddenly. Many hours writing in the candlelight had likely damaged his eyes, but there simply weren't enough hours of daylight.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn pushed the platter away, satisfied for now. "It's still light out, want me to go get some? I was gonna get drinking water anyway, I'm thiiiiirsty," she complained, her wine glass emptied.

She wiped off her hands on the under of her skirt, standing up and starting to gather their mess.

 

[Gerrard]

---

Gerrard walked from the fire with a lit taper. It had turned out that he had plenty of candles to arrange around his writing desk. He had simply forgotten that the cupboard had a sizeable stack of them. Back from her trip to the well. Audreyn was free to take any of the comfortable chairs arranged around the fireplace. One of them was softer than the others, Gerrard having a habit of writing into the small hours and then falling asleep on it.

He lit a circle of candles around his writing table. He had already spread out a sheaf of paper from his travel bags. They were covered in his small scrawling handwriting. The diagrams were, by contrast, precise and elaborate. Some of them took up most of a page with notes hastily added around them.

"Please retire to bed whenever you want, you can take either of the spare rooms. I might be working late tonight," he called over his shoulder to Audreyn.

 

[Audreyn]

"I'm okay," Audreyn told him, her voice thick and relaxed. She had indeed found that comfortable chair and was now sprawled out in the most unlady-like manner over both arms of it.

She gave a heavy sigh, relaxing deeper into the soft cushion as the warmth of the fire licked pleasantly at her exposed ankle. She had no book or needlework to occupy herself, in fact she lacked a hobby at all. However she was not bored as she sat there-- her chin dipping down and bobbing back up. It was peaceful around them. For the first time things felt solid and whole, like she might actually be safe.

She drifted off to the sound of a quill scratching over crinkling paper. It was nice.

 

[Gerrard]

The sound of Gerrard striking his flint for a morning fire was likely to wake Audreyn. She was in the same chair, but covered in a warm blanket and with a pillow tucked behind her head.

Gerrard blew on his kindling, and the flames started to take to the wood. A pot of water was already hanging over the fire and there was a faint smell of tea leaves in the air.

"Sorry," he whispered as she started to stir. "Didn't think it was appropriate to carry you upstairs."

Yet somehow it had been appropriate to carry her into a lake just to douse her fire when they had first met.

 

[Audreyn]

"It's okay," she croaked, sitting up and yawning into her hand. She stretched as he finished making the fire, no worse for wear for her sleeping position. Ah, to be young.

She yawned again and sat up properly, becoming aware of their enviroment then. "What time is it, how are you already awake before me?" She pulled the blanket up to her neck, not ready to face the morning.

 

[Gerrard]

"Been an hour or so since the sun came up," he replied casually. Taking out the loaf of bread he started to cut some thick slices.

"Do you drink tea?" he asked, trying to remember if he had seen her drink it.

 

[Audreyn]

"Um. Sure," she lied, never having much of a chance to before. Ah, to be *rich*.

She watched him fuss with the bread and tea kettle, reaching out to take it into her cocoon once it was offered. She took a small sip, letting the steam warm her face.

"How'd you work go? Did you science anything neat?" Beyond pleasantries, she was genuinely curious.

 

[Gerrard]

Gerrard returned once more with a plate of sliced bread coated with jam. The plate was a delicate china with blue birds painted around the rim.

"I'm still struggling with finding a combination of wards that can stabilise a break in the plains of reality. There has to be a way. If the portal stones can do it then it has to be possible," he reasoned.

 

[Audreyn]

She sat up straighter, putting her cup on the side table and taking the plate. She would have once been excited about the jam. Now she was gaping at the porcelain it sat on.

The gravity of his words didn't have an impact on her, it was all gibberish to her uneducated mind after all, but her rebuttal remained the same as always.

"I still don't understand why you can't just put together a spell with words. I did it before."

She took a massive bite of the toast, munching happily.

 

[Gerrard]

"Yes it did," he replied. He was still slightly sullen about how easy it had been for her. He took a big bite of the thick, heavy bread. He didn't like the pale, airy bread that had become popular with the upper classes.

"However there are always consequences. Something large and complex can have dire ones if you don't do enough planning."

Gerrars took the next chair, slightly closer to the fire to enjoy its warmth. At least he had made his own bedroom.

 

[Audreyn]

Her mouth opened as more questioned popped to her mind. She stopped herself, thinking better of it and pushing them back.

It was too early for this stuff. 'Sides, wasn't suppose to harass him, 'member...

"Is the rest of the world as smart as you?" She finally asked, licking at her sticky fingers and brushing crumbs off her. "Or am I just plain dumb, cause I feel dumb when you go saying all that stuff." She didn't like it.

 

[Gerrard]

"No, the rest of the world isn't," he replied. There wasn't any pride in his voice. He might as well have said the sky was blue.

"A small fraction of people have the talent - or money - to attend a college. Even less of those pass. And even less of those get to work for the school."

"But ignore anyone who says intelligence is some thing of birth or blood. I've met some people who think quite slowly with the most fascinating minds. Knowledge comes from hard work. Lots of it."

 

[Audreyn]

She perked, his words resonating in her. Hard work, eh? She knew hard work. She plowed fields.

"Welp," she finally concluded, quite chipper as she placed her plate to the side and stood. "I'm going to go get ready. Big day today, yeah. You're gonna teach me to curtsy. " After the new dress was ordered.

And he taught her another spell.

And she practiced table manners.

"I have so much to learn," she grumbled, turning to leave him just like that.

 

[Gerrard]

Gerrard wasn't sure if that was tiredness, determination or resignation. She was a curious soul. Not quite what he would have expected from a thoroughbred peasant. She was certainly more spirited. He assumed they mostly kept their heads down, farmed and then drank gin until they fell asleep.

He mentally shrugged and finished his breakfast. In hindsight he could have toasted the bread. That was about the height of his culinary skills. He wondered what else Audreyn might be able to make as she got dressed for a new day.

"Market Square first?" he asked as he heard her coming down the stairs. He had poured himself another cup of tea.

 

[Audreyn]

"There's gonna be a second?" She asked, shocked. "....Lotsa shopping places here," she concluded, not needing an explanation. "Right. Big city, course."

She wiped at her forehead, the morning heat already causing her to sweat. It was much warmer here than it was back in her cool foresty flat lands. The wool clothing they had bought to keep her warm was now working a bit too well. And she wasn't even wearing any underthings!

She pulled at the material around her stomach, flapping it to give herself some air as she moved towards the door. "Kay, let's go."

She marched him out the door and down the street, until they hit the end and she visibly faltered, searching for the right direction. "Ah, um-" She glanced up at the keep and perked, taking the correct, right turn.

 

[Gerrard]

Audreyn had gone rather rapidly from waking to up on her feet and wanting to be outside. She was farming stock after all, used to early mornings to use the light. Noticing her dealing with the warmth he was glad that he had several lighter tunics in the house. Unfortunately it was expected that a man of standing had to wear a heavy doublet when outside, so he was far from immune.

"You know, one of the college staff suggested we should increase reading across the classes. Thought it would open up all kinds of knowledge to the poor. Cities and roads could have written signs for directions too. He was shouted down, because most felt the poor were better suited to manual labour. It would be too difficult to teach them to read, he was told."

He turned his head a fraction towards Audreyn to read her reaction. It wasn't a test, but he was interested to see her take on the matter.

There was hardly a breeze to catch the colourful banners above. Instead the stone streets and walls soaked up the heat of the sun. At least the markets would provide some shade.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn frowned, her brows furrowed.

"That doesn't sounds like a very smart thing to say," she asserted bluntly. "Think about it. I bet there's tons of science with farming or building-- I mean why not? You say the world has rules and stuff it can't only be for your studies, that just-" She reached for the word, but found she didn't have one in her vocabulary.

"... that's just thinking you're better than anyone else to think so."

She shook her head more, fanning herself with her dress as she paused and figured out the next right turn to take them on.

"Think of all the advances that could happen with farming or building if the people doing it were taught to- to think more about it. Idunno, but I gotta say it's awfully inconvenient to not be able to write my spells down. How can I learn more if I have no way to remember them. S'stupid. S'like... holding us back."

Where that rant had come from, she wasn't sure. She half surprised herself with it, but something about his words had bothered her and getting all those words out made her feel better for it.

"S'stupid."

 

[Gerrard]

"Holding you back?" he asked. "I suspect its not that far from the truth. The churches make sure to tell all the peasants not to worry about wealth and then you'll get your reward when you die. But not before."

Gerrard made a small not of concern.

"I probably shouldn't have set you thinking about this before a party where the nobility try and show off to their peers wih excessive wealth...but I can only imagine if everyone else had more knowledge and wealth that they would have less."

Gerrard had entertained these thoughts before. He just had more important things to think about. He was no hero of the lower classes. In fact they often seemed to revel in their ignorance instead of bettering themselves.

"Would you like me to show you some writing later?"

 

[Audreyn]

"Yes," she snuffed. "And then a spell that would make them shit their pants." She wasn't truly angry with any upper class, only disgruntled by the notion that someone could say such a thing about her. Well maybe not her. But people like her. She didn't like this thought of not being capable to learn or write. She didn't like the insinuation one bit.

She took another turn and stopped short, spinning in place for a moment and slowly deflating. "Uh." She had definitely taken a wrong turn somewhere. She wiped at her face and looked up at him apologetically.

 

[Gerrard]

Gerrard hadn't been paying attention to where they were walking. Had he suddenly treated Audreyn as a small experiment? He asked himself.

That was what he did. He applied certain conditions and looked at the results. Yet it was always done with a purpose. It wasn't fair to do that to her. Even if he wasn't certain if that was really what he had been doing he made a mental note to take more care with how he said these things.

The problem was that his mind was a heap of mental notes that lacked any form of filing system. Other than one clean stack of notes with a large 'my research' sign next to them.

"Up to the left I think. We'll try Farthington's first, but they might be too busy. Genoa's will only serve true nobility, of which technically I no longer am. Pinto's is less popular, but probably has more time. All of them will be better educated in this season's fashion than myself," he laughed.

That also meant they would be the ones to explain that boning in the skirt to exaggerate the hips was a trend. And that a low neckline to emphasise the bust was in. Gerrard contemplated for warning her that men wore the most colourful garments to draw attention to themselves ahead of laughter during any fittings.