A Girl Can Dream

Writers: Mirren, Paula
Date Posted: 23rd November 2015

Characters: Raghad, Torianna
Description: Raghad and Torianna discuss her future.
Location: Citrus Bay Hold
Date: month 3, day 8 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Hadrid

Raghad has asked her to come to his office. Since his office was a small building at the dock, near the beach, it meant she had to walk through whole hold, so he wasn't expecting her to come very soon after Wind Watcher had delivered the note. The blue firelizard chirped smugly when he returned from his errand and received a tidbit. Then he took his usual perch on a shelf above his head and curled up to nap. Raghad returned to his hidework.

Torianna was sweating lightly by the time she arrived. She'd been whistled at by at least three men and propositioned by two. She was naive, but she understood what they meant well enough. Pursing her lips, she tapped on the door.

"Do come in," Raghad called out. He put down his pen and rubbed his tired eyes.

She stepped inside and frowned slightly. He shouldn't be working so hard. He always did though. She supposed he always would.
"I'm sorry, I should have brought you klah."

"Don't bother, sweetheart, the are drudges for that. How you been?" Raghad replied.

"Fine." She lowered herself into a chair, trying to look graceful; the opposite of her foster mother. "Thank you. But you didn't ask me here to ask how I am, did you?"

"No, you're right," Raghad smiled. His face turned serious when he slid a letter across the table. "I received the first proposal concerning you," he told her. "A cotholder." It was proposal he was ready to turn down. The man just wasn't wealthy enough nor well connected.

"Oh." Her face turned pink. She pulled the letter over and scanned it quickly. "I _think_ I remember him." Not in a good way. He certainly wasn't the man of her daydreams.

"You're not interested, I take it?" Raghad asked, reading her reaction.

She made a face. "Not really, but it's not up to me," she replied carefully.

"Perhaps not, but I'm still willing to listen your opinion. I did let Ravina had her crafter. I wasn't seriously considering him anyways. He's not good enough for you," Raghad said. He had born during an era when women had more freedom and more equality. Back in the trader caravan of his childhood, men and women had worked side by side. The Plague had changed it.

Torianna smiled. "I have a feeling you're going to say that about all of them." Or most of them anyway. She'd yet to meet a man she'd choose for herself. She might end up a spinster yet.

"Not that many men out there who are worthy of my daughters," Raghad said. He did count Torianna as his daughter. She had been entrusted to his care as a newborn baby. She had been less than sevenday old. He had raised her as part of his family and loved her as much as any of his own children.

"Even if they're rich?" she asked teasingly. She knew marks didn't make the man, but they helped.

"Being rich helps but not if they have manners of a tunnelsnake," Raghad replied. He had met many men like that...and helped them by liberating them from their riches.

"Better to have bad manners than a bad temper," she pointed out. That was the scariest prospect of all; that whoever she married might hurt her. Not that he'd get away with it.

"Last time I ran in to a tunnelsnake, it tried to bite off my toes, so I think bad temper applies to the metafor too," Raghad grinned.

"All right, so we agree, no tunnelsnakes." She giggled. "And no one shorter than me." She was already short enough as it was.

"Well, that isn't very hard demand to fill," Raghad remarked.

She was tempted to stick her tongue out at him, but she preferred to think she had more class than that. "My mother must have been short," she said. "Or father." But she couldn't imagine that. She was sure he was tall and handsome.

"I never met your mother, so I can't say," Raghad said. Inside he was wincing at such an evasive reply. But he had made a promise.

"Da-" she started hesitantly. He might not be her father, but she thought of him that way. "Do you think maybe she was small and died because she was small?" Her brow crinkled as she frowned. "Because if I ever have a baby…"

"It's possible," Raghad admitted. "But small sized women have babies whole the time without problems," he reassured her.

"I suppose so." She drew her legs up and tucked them under her, her skirt draped over her knees. "Maybe I just think too much."

"There's no such thing as thinking too much but there's worrying too much," Raghad's smile was gentle.

She leaned forward so her arms were on the desk and rested her chin on her hands. "I suppose I shouldn't worry my pretty little head?" she teased.

"Too much worrying gives you indigestion," Raghad said.

"And wrinkles," she added. Not that she was worried about those, at least not yet.

"Do you want some of mine?" Raghad asked and pretended to remove some from his face and place them on hers. These kind of things used to amuse her when she was a little.

She giggled. "I think they might look better on you than me, but thank you." She patted her face as if to keep her new wrinkles in place.

"You're all welcome, sweetheart."

"Shall I send someone to bring you some klah and food? I know you'll keep working and forget otherwise."

"If you want to," Raghad shrugged. Someone would be doing it anyways, if it was not her, then it would be his wife, another daughter or daughter-in-law.

"I want to," she replied. "You've done so much for me and you didn't have to." He could have left her with someone else if he'd wanted to.

"Ah, but you're family, Torianna," Raghad patted her hand.

"Only because you let me be. Even when I acted like a brat."

"You were such an adorable baby. I never forget when I first held you. I loved you right then," Raghad answered.

She smiled softly. "And here we are, talking about marriage proposals." Time went too fast.

"Yes. Hadrid won't be far behind you, although boys generally married older," Raghad replied. Thank Faranth Runha was only ten. He could still enjoy her being his little girl.

"Da," she said slowly. "How are we going to be sure I don't marry someone I'm related to?" Faranth only knew what siblings she might have out there, if any.

"That is bit of a dilemma," Raghad admitted. He was aware she might have half-siblings out there somewhere.

She sighed. "Maybe I just shouldn't get married."

"What would you do then? Become a bitter spinster? Or run off to Weyr?" Raghad asked.

She'd always wondered what it'd be like to live in a Weyr. For a moment she stopped to consider what it'd be like to pack a bag and take off. Eventually she snorted softly. "I'd only go the Weyr if I was searched or fell head over heels with a handsome bronzerider." She smiled. "But only with your blessing. I have no intention of being bitter though."

"Well, if the bronzerider is of decent sort," Raghad winked. He had always supported the Weyr. Of course, he had an ulterior motive: they kept the Thread away from his fields and fruit trees. He gladly paid tithes for it.

"Of course he would be," she replied. "He'd be perfect. Tall, dark, handsome, polite, sweet, kind, caring…" Not that her standards were high or anything.

"That's quite a list, Ria," Raghad said, using her childhood nick name.

"You taught me that a girl should aim high," she replied. "A girl can dream anyway."

"There's nohing wrong with aiming high, or dreaming," Raghad replied. "As long as you keep your feet to the ground."

"Of course," she replied. "I'm scared of heights."

Raghad chuckled.

Last updated on the November 30th 2015

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A Girl Can Dream