A Rainy Day Well Spent

Writers: Jelena, Suzee
Date Posted: 8th July 2013

Characters: Benani, Sinla
Description: A rainy day brings the two women together for some new ideas.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 2, day 7 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Zathris, Chupsin, Genna, Makarl, Arippa, Faldrimme, Daihmin

Benani

Summer had arrived and with it showers and sun aplenty. Today though
the showers were the weather of the day and Benani sat with her ladies
in the solar, taking in what sun peaked out from behind the overcast
that leaked down onto the emerging flowers.

Benani stared out the windows and wished she could go riding but the
day was too wet. So she sighed and punched the needle through the
fabric one more time as she stitched the black decorations on a new
shirt for her husband.

"How is your daughter," she asked conversationally of Sinla what sat nearby.

Sinla looked up at the question, for a moment wondering if there was
motivation behind the question other than general interest, but from
the look on Benani's face, luckily there wasn't. "She has been...
trying of late," Sinla confessed with a sigh. "Ever since Chupsin took
her to that hatching..." The woman trailed off, shaking her head.

Benani smiled and nodded. Even if she'd not married Zathris she
doubted she'd have been much attracted to life in the Weyr. But she
could certainly understand the attraction it might hold for the young.
"Does she have fantasies of living there?"

Sinla's gaze rested on Benani's for a moment, as if considering
something before she replied. "She does. She managed to get herself
searched at that hatching." Sinla's tone of voice was almost as if she
was confessing some terrible secret. Her daughter at the Weyr! The
thought still filled her with fear and disgust. Genna would not last a
day there.

Benani put her stitching down and her face went a little pale. "Are
you going to let her go?" She appreciated and even admired what
dragonriders did for them every day but she couldn't imagine someone
she knew so well becoming one. "She could be killed!"

For a moment Sinla would have almost said 'or worse', but even she had
to admit an unmarriable daughter was better than a dead one. "I said
no, and I'm keeping my foot down, but now that the idea got planted in
her brain..." Sinla trailed off for a moment, shaking her head. "I'm
afraid I don't know how to get it out again."

"Oh my dear," said Benani with genuine sympathy. She shook her head.
"I wanted to be a beast crafter like my brothers when I was younger.
That is until my father made me groom and care for my own runner for
three months." She shivered remembering the mucking out of the stables
and the horrible smells. She'd decided then and there that being a
Lady wasn't so much of a terrible chore and she'd gladly returned to
her needlework.

"Well, I can hardly let Genna have a go at Weyrlife and come running
back when she realizes what it's really like..." Sinla said with a
sigh. The girl would be ruined for marriage.

"Very true," she said nothing of her niece Faldrimme and her own
passion for beast crafting. Zathris had already made the suggestion of
sending her to Riverbluff Weyr to visit his brother there. Of course
she'd be accompanied by a chaperon but nevertheless what Genna
obviously wanted was far different.

Benani nodded at Sinla, part of her responsibilities as Lady Holder
lay in making good matches for young women of good breeding. So she
rather thought she knew where this conversation was likely headed.
"Would you like me to put out some feelers for a good match for
Genna?" Perhaps with the possibilities of a comfortable life the girl
would change her mind.

"Oh if you would be so kind," Sinla replied at once, looking honestly
hopeful. She had held off on serious man hunting, hoping to come
across a jack-pot offer somewhere, but now Genna was starting to act
up it seemed like a good idea to get her settled down as soon as
possible.

"Certainly," she smiled at the other woman. With Arippa married now
and Faldrimme gone off to the Weyr for some exploration of her options
she had been itching to get her fingers into some matchmaking. "Maybe
we can host some sort of dinner during the next gather."

Sinla visibly cheered up at that. The idea of a dinner hosted in her
daughters honor was just too good not to smile about. Surely the honor
of it would cheer up her sulking child at least a little? If only
Genna could get her mind back on the golden future she was supposed to
have, married to a nice, promising young man. "That would be
marvelous, I'm sure my husband would free up the funds to make it a
grand event." Mentioning her husband did poke at the unhappiness she
had buried deep inside since the near-incident with Daihmin, but she
just pushed it deeper down as she continued smiling at Benani.

"That would be wonderful," she smiled. "I'm sure Zathris will appreciate it."

"Well, let us talk to our husbands then," Sinla smiled, feeling at
least a little encouraged at this new turn of events.

Last updated on the July 19th 2013

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A Rainy Day Well Spent