Post by meimei on May 22, 2009 16:57:25 GMT -6
13398, Midsummer Mustering
The cries heralding Yeralyn's arrival broke Taraan's concentration. He let the metal he'd been working with slide back to a simple ball of unblemished silver. Placing it away, he hurried out of his tent, waving a greeting to some of his bandmates. He followed the small groups that were already descending on the newly arrived band. It was always like this at the start of the musterings. Family and friends hurrying to greet eachother for the first time all year. He was no different, he mused, sliding past one group who were greeting eachother jovially.
He didn't spot Kren right away. He circled the camp twice before he saw where his tent was partly erected already. He had to backtrack around a large group who were speaking loudly of what games they intended to participate in this year. His parents' old fostering was quietly setting up his tent alone. *Kren!*
Kren glanced back and nodded to Taraan when he spotted him emerging from the crowd. *Hard to hear oneself think above all the squawking!* The younger elf greeted sourly. But Kren was always like that, so he payed it no mind.
*Give yourself time to get used to it. I hardly notice already.* Taraan grinned, kneeling down to help steady a post.
*That's because you squawk the loudest!* Kren tormented, his lips pulling into a grin.
Taraan laughed. *You may be right!* Kren hammered the post into place, and wrapped the rope tightly around it. Taraan let it go, but frowned at it. *Metal works better than wood. Why don't you let me shape you some-*
*No.*
The curt word stung Taraan's mind slightly. Anger simmered under the tight reply. The metalshaper winced, but pushed on. *Why not? It's a simple enough task.*
Kren glanced over at him with a scowl, seeming to study him. "Another earring? You're getting as obsessed with trinkets as those rotten trolls you trade with. What good is it to cover your skin in the wretched stuff? Good way to get burned, if you ask me, and nothing else."
"I don't recall asking you." Taraan gritted out. "I came to see how you've been. I'd think Yeralyn had a rotten year if I didn't have others to judge by. I guess I shouldn't have bothered."
Kren seemed to brood over his words. Taraan made no move to leave though, and even held the next pole in place. "We've done well this year. I've been...fine."
"...Are you happy here in Yeralyn?" Taraan asked cautiously. Kren nodded slowly. "If you ever want to travel with a new band, I'd be happy if you chose Ouren."
"I have no desire to change things." Kren's voice was terse again.
"There's nothing wrong with change."
"You could come back to Yeralyn then."
"I've though about it once or twice. But I like Ouren. And I'm still training in my tale-keeping."
"Why isn't that enough for you?" Kren asked, not looking up.
Taraan frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You have your powers, and you're training to be a tale-keeper. Why must you trade too? Going off alone like that isn't safe, Taraan."
"What happened with Father and Mother was chance, Kren. It didn't have anything to do with their trading."
"We wouldn't have gotten sick if we'd stayed with the band."
"You don't know that. Not even the healer was certain where the sickness was from."
"If we'd been near the band. Near a healer, they would have lived. We formed the bands for a reason. It's too dangerous out here alone."
"I may be alone when I travel. But you're alone even when you're surrounded by the bands. Maybe it's foolish that I'm not afraid of finding death out there alone, but you're afraid to live."
"Is that the opinion of a tale-keeper in training or a trinket obsessed trader?"
Taraan released the pole and stalked away. The quiet conversation had attracted no attention among the excitement of the band's arrival. And Taraan found it just as easy to storm away through the ruckus without anyone noticing. But Kren's words stung deeply. And he sought the solitude of his tent, ignoring the another set of shouts that announced the next band's arrival.
**********************************************************************
Siyal left the Tavol encampment in high spirits, having been shooed from the camp set up by Ghelyn. Her soul-sister knew how much she wanted to see Keyna again. She found the Avri encampment with little trouble, and as she expected her mother was aiding those around the cooking fire. She waited for the other elf to have her hands free before calling for her. *Mother!*
Keyna turned, a bright smile lighting her features. She spotted Siyal and ran forward to embrace her tightly. *My only child! My eyes see with joy!*
Siyal returned the tight embrace, allowing herself to enjoy this moment before pulling away. "I'm hardly a child." She chastised lightly, her smile amused.
Keyna. "Oh? Are you with your own yet?"
Siyal giggled, shaking her head. "Ghelyn warned me you'd bring that up."
"No lifemate either, then, I take it?"
Siyal took her mother's arm and led them back to the other woman's familiar tent. She recognized a piece of her own weaving was hung in front of the doorway, and felt a glow of pride that her mother had liked it enough to use it. They took seats inside, pouring some water into cups to sip on. Some fruit sat in a shady corner of the room, and Keyna grabbed two for them to share.
"I see your own furs are empty of company."
"There has been occasional company."
"You ask me about a lifemate every year. But you haven't taken another yourself, Mother. In over six hundred years."
"I have had a devoted and loving lifemate. We shared many wonderful years before recognition blessed us with an even more wonderful child. Meyat must be so proud of you."
"Don't turn this around. We're talking about you. Why ask me for what you haven't taken yourself?"
"Because I've had that joy. And I have had no desire to share so deeply again. Perhaps someday. But not now."
"So, it will happen when it will happen?" Siyal asked pointedly. Keyna eyes her shrewdly, but did not reply. "It's the same with me. I have my weavings, and my band. I have friends, and lovemates.. And I have Ghelyn. I am content. I don't desire more."
"You don't know what you're missing. And I don't think I can put it to words." Keyna told her. She sighed, gazing into her water cup. "It's...you make think you're content now. But truly, when you have someone to share all this with..." She trailed off with a sigh.
"Perhaps for you. But that's not neccessarily the truth for me. I am content."
Keyna shook her head again. "Perhaps next year."
Siyal laughed, shaking her own head as well. "Perhaps. Now tell me of Avri's travels."
The cries heralding Yeralyn's arrival broke Taraan's concentration. He let the metal he'd been working with slide back to a simple ball of unblemished silver. Placing it away, he hurried out of his tent, waving a greeting to some of his bandmates. He followed the small groups that were already descending on the newly arrived band. It was always like this at the start of the musterings. Family and friends hurrying to greet eachother for the first time all year. He was no different, he mused, sliding past one group who were greeting eachother jovially.
He didn't spot Kren right away. He circled the camp twice before he saw where his tent was partly erected already. He had to backtrack around a large group who were speaking loudly of what games they intended to participate in this year. His parents' old fostering was quietly setting up his tent alone. *Kren!*
Kren glanced back and nodded to Taraan when he spotted him emerging from the crowd. *Hard to hear oneself think above all the squawking!* The younger elf greeted sourly. But Kren was always like that, so he payed it no mind.
*Give yourself time to get used to it. I hardly notice already.* Taraan grinned, kneeling down to help steady a post.
*That's because you squawk the loudest!* Kren tormented, his lips pulling into a grin.
Taraan laughed. *You may be right!* Kren hammered the post into place, and wrapped the rope tightly around it. Taraan let it go, but frowned at it. *Metal works better than wood. Why don't you let me shape you some-*
*No.*
The curt word stung Taraan's mind slightly. Anger simmered under the tight reply. The metalshaper winced, but pushed on. *Why not? It's a simple enough task.*
Kren glanced over at him with a scowl, seeming to study him. "Another earring? You're getting as obsessed with trinkets as those rotten trolls you trade with. What good is it to cover your skin in the wretched stuff? Good way to get burned, if you ask me, and nothing else."
"I don't recall asking you." Taraan gritted out. "I came to see how you've been. I'd think Yeralyn had a rotten year if I didn't have others to judge by. I guess I shouldn't have bothered."
Kren seemed to brood over his words. Taraan made no move to leave though, and even held the next pole in place. "We've done well this year. I've been...fine."
"...Are you happy here in Yeralyn?" Taraan asked cautiously. Kren nodded slowly. "If you ever want to travel with a new band, I'd be happy if you chose Ouren."
"I have no desire to change things." Kren's voice was terse again.
"There's nothing wrong with change."
"You could come back to Yeralyn then."
"I've though about it once or twice. But I like Ouren. And I'm still training in my tale-keeping."
"Why isn't that enough for you?" Kren asked, not looking up.
Taraan frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"You have your powers, and you're training to be a tale-keeper. Why must you trade too? Going off alone like that isn't safe, Taraan."
"What happened with Father and Mother was chance, Kren. It didn't have anything to do with their trading."
"We wouldn't have gotten sick if we'd stayed with the band."
"You don't know that. Not even the healer was certain where the sickness was from."
"If we'd been near the band. Near a healer, they would have lived. We formed the bands for a reason. It's too dangerous out here alone."
"I may be alone when I travel. But you're alone even when you're surrounded by the bands. Maybe it's foolish that I'm not afraid of finding death out there alone, but you're afraid to live."
"Is that the opinion of a tale-keeper in training or a trinket obsessed trader?"
Taraan released the pole and stalked away. The quiet conversation had attracted no attention among the excitement of the band's arrival. And Taraan found it just as easy to storm away through the ruckus without anyone noticing. But Kren's words stung deeply. And he sought the solitude of his tent, ignoring the another set of shouts that announced the next band's arrival.
**********************************************************************
Siyal left the Tavol encampment in high spirits, having been shooed from the camp set up by Ghelyn. Her soul-sister knew how much she wanted to see Keyna again. She found the Avri encampment with little trouble, and as she expected her mother was aiding those around the cooking fire. She waited for the other elf to have her hands free before calling for her. *Mother!*
Keyna turned, a bright smile lighting her features. She spotted Siyal and ran forward to embrace her tightly. *My only child! My eyes see with joy!*
Siyal returned the tight embrace, allowing herself to enjoy this moment before pulling away. "I'm hardly a child." She chastised lightly, her smile amused.
Keyna. "Oh? Are you with your own yet?"
Siyal giggled, shaking her head. "Ghelyn warned me you'd bring that up."
"No lifemate either, then, I take it?"
Siyal took her mother's arm and led them back to the other woman's familiar tent. She recognized a piece of her own weaving was hung in front of the doorway, and felt a glow of pride that her mother had liked it enough to use it. They took seats inside, pouring some water into cups to sip on. Some fruit sat in a shady corner of the room, and Keyna grabbed two for them to share.
"I see your own furs are empty of company."
"There has been occasional company."
"You ask me about a lifemate every year. But you haven't taken another yourself, Mother. In over six hundred years."
"I have had a devoted and loving lifemate. We shared many wonderful years before recognition blessed us with an even more wonderful child. Meyat must be so proud of you."
"Don't turn this around. We're talking about you. Why ask me for what you haven't taken yourself?"
"Because I've had that joy. And I have had no desire to share so deeply again. Perhaps someday. But not now."
"So, it will happen when it will happen?" Siyal asked pointedly. Keyna eyes her shrewdly, but did not reply. "It's the same with me. I have my weavings, and my band. I have friends, and lovemates.. And I have Ghelyn. I am content. I don't desire more."
"You don't know what you're missing. And I don't think I can put it to words." Keyna told her. She sighed, gazing into her water cup. "It's...you make think you're content now. But truly, when you have someone to share all this with..." She trailed off with a sigh.
"Perhaps for you. But that's not neccessarily the truth for me. I am content."
Keyna shook her head again. "Perhaps next year."
Siyal laughed, shaking her own head as well. "Perhaps. Now tell me of Avri's travels."