But You're a Woman!

Writers: Paula, Rochelle
Date Posted: 18th January 2008

Characters: Eilomar, Shaelis
Description: Master Eilomar goes to meet the new Master Shaelis, and gets a shock!
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 7, day 4 of Turn 4

Eilomar had been quite excited when he heard that master Shaelis had transferred to their harper hall. His works had drifted to the South from the North from time to time and Eilomar had always enjoyed performing them. He was eager to meet the new master and welcome him in. He did give him some time to settle in before finding out where his office was and now he knocked that door.

Shaelis was standing in the center of her new office, looking around in confusion. She hadn't really used an office in turns, and now that she did she wasn't entirely certain where she had put things, like the guitar tune she'd been working on...

The door knock startled her upright, and she called out cheerily, if absently "Come in." Where had she put that pile...?

Eilomar was bit disappointed to find only a woman in the office. The rumors said master Shaelis had come with a spouse, so this must be his wife. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm looking for master Shaelis. Do you think he will be back soon?"

Shaelis turned her attention completely to the overweight man in front of her, noticed the master's knots, and groaned inwardly. She wasn't prepared for a meeting right now... She did a warm, professional smile. "I'm afraid he's right here. You see, I'm master Shaelis, just transferred in from the North." She held out a hand, determined that the other man would not find fault in her manners even if she was not what he'd been expecting.

Eilomar's jaw dropped. "But..but but but you're A WOMAN!" he stammered.

She raised her eyebrow, stifling a sigh. They had warned her about this sort of reaction, although she had seen less of it since her arrival than she had expected. "That would be correct, I'm afraid. And you are...?" She prompted, politely leaving her offered hand out.

"Eilomar, master of Vocals. I've performed your songs for decades! You and master Endras are my favorite composers," Eilomar replied and gave the offered hand a brief, almost absent shake. His brains still had difficulties to bend around the truth about her gender.

"Thank you, master Eilomar. I'm flattered." She told him, wishing she could roll her eyes. It wasn't hard to tell that he had expected her to be a man, and still hadn't decided what to think. "Master Endras's compositions are quite good."

"Too bad he hasn't composed much after his wife's death," Eilomar said.

"Why should he?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Every composer has their own inspiration. If she was his, well." She shrugged. "It's very difficult to write good music if you have nothing to drive you." She should know. There had been times, in her early turns in the north, where she had been forced to dredge up whatever she could to keep the marks flowing, no matter how feeble the tune.

Eilomar shrugged. He couldn't put a two notes together, his only talent was his mighty voice.

Interpreting Eilomar's shrug as a sign that he didn't really care or understand about composers and their inspirations, Shaelis continued on, waving the other master toward a chair as she turned back toward the pile she'd been rifling through. "Please, have a seat. Can I ask what bring you to my office, Eilomar?" Other than the desire to see the new master in person, she amended silently, rifling through hides.

"I was curious to meet you, but I didn't expect you to turn out to be a woman," Eilomar said, with a tone that could taken as insulting and belittling.

"I don't see why not." She said neutrally, concentrating more on the hides she was riffling through than his actual words. She knew that tone. And it was not something she was going to take from another master. Especially, she realized suddenly with a little smile, from someone ten turns her junior. "After all, I was a master at this hall when Plague came." She straightened and look at at him with a dangerous look in her eye backing her smile. "You were a journeyman then, weren't you?"

"Why, yes. I spent most of my jorneyman days in hold-rounds," Eilomar replied, blinking his eyes with surprise. The, what he felt was sudden change of subject, took him off-guard.

"Those were good days." She sighed with fake nostalgia. She barely remembered them now, to tell the truth. It seemed as if her life had truly begun that moment when she saw the Southern Continent fade behind the horizon for the first time. "Men and women working together at all levels of rank. Remember old Master Rewina? She was a choirmaster to be reckoned with. She never would have stood for all this idiocy about women being unfit to craft." Shaelis smiled innocently at Eilomar, aware that she was putting the man in a difficult position and not really caring. "I understand you studied under her as well."

"Well, yes, uhmh, I did," Eilomar squirmed and admitted reluctantly. A bead of sweat had appeared to his forehead. And when going got tough, Eilomar did what he usually did, meaning, fled. "Look, we're both busy masters, so I'll just leave you to your work. I'm sure I'll see you around." He back stepped towards the door, eager to get out.

"Yes, I'm sure we will." Shaelis said with a polite smile, mildly disappointed to see Eilomar in retreat, but not much. He should know better than to try to imply she was inferior because she was a woman to her face. "Have a good day, Master Eilomar, and thank you for stopping by.
I look forward to working with you." She added, feeling a little malicious.

"Likewise," Eilomare managed to grunt and then he was out in the corridor and hurrying away. Not the kind of meeting he had expected.

Last updated on the January 19th 2008

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But You're a Woman!