Manipulation?

Writers: Jelena, Suzee
Date Posted: 7th October 2013

Characters: Benani, Genna
Description: The young woman's attempt at manipulation may not go exactly as planned
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 3, day 4 of Turn 7
Notes: Mentioned: Sinla, Zathris, Arippa, Yanley

Benani

Genna

As she entered the ladies' solar, Genna quickly scanned the room. She
had tried to make sure her mother was busy elsewhere, but with Sinla
you never knew where she might pop up. Right now, however, she wasn't
in the solar and the person Genna was looking to talk to was. "Good
morning, Ma'am," she smiled brightly at the Lady Holder. "Do you mind
if I sit with you as I work on my needlework?" Who could object to a
little company when doing such dull work, Genna didn't know, but she
waited politely for permission to sit down next to Benani.

"Good morning Genna," she looked up from her own needlework. "I don't
mind," she smiled. "Come on in.

"Wonderful, thank you, Ma'am," Genna smiled a wide, cheerful smile.
"How are you doing? Having a good day so far?" Of course cutting
straight to the point of her coming would be way too obvious.

"So far so good," she smiled. With her sister leaving for the Weyr
much of the workload Yanley had taken from her during the twins' early
months was coming back and she found her days were full. "I think
we're about ready to begin receiving the tythe trains from the
outlying holds."

"Oh!" Genna replied instantly with well-faked enthusiasm, seeing an
opening for her topic of choice. "That's nice! Do.. do you think there
will be any good eh.. young holders with the trains?" She even managed
a blush there.

Benani smiled, maybe Sinla's fears about the girl were unfounded but
she wasn't quite sure she was willing to put her marks on it. "I'm
sure there will be," she chuckled. "But I doubt they'll be of the
proper class for a young well born woman like yourself." How many
times had she heard those words from her own father?

Genna heaved a deep sigh and looked down at her hands. "That is
probably true," she said as she picked up her needlework. "Sometimes I
wonder if there will be ever one that is right for me, if it wouldn't
have been so much easier if I'd been a little less well off, do you
know what I mean, Ma'am?" Part of that was true, before being searched
she really had wanted to marry, marry for love, that is. But that
wasn't a very likely case for her, it seemed.

Benani just smiled. "Of course I know what you mean and I'm sure there
will be. I was the upteenth child of a Lord Holder. He didn't love me
any less than the others but he had standards and suitors weren't
exactly easy to come by. But then I met Zathris." She didn't think she
needed to say any more. Her husband was the most handsome man of her
acquaintance and the fact that he loved her like he did made their
marriage more wonderful than she ever dreamed at Genna's age. She also
didn't mention the sister who'd run away never to be heard from again.

Genna looked at Benani, part honest curiosity, part determined
calculation. "How did you meet Zathris, Ma'am?" she asked as she put
in another stitch. "If you don't mind me asking."

A soft smile curved Benani's lips. "Oh I don't mind," she said. "He
came here for a visit and we became friends. After he left, we
corresponded for awhile and when he returned he asked my father Lord
Benaroy for my hand."

"That''s so sweet," Genna smiled. "I just wish we got visitors more
often. Or that I could go visit somewhere else, I guess." There, the
seed was planted. Now she'd have to make sure it grew, right?

"That's what Arippa did," Benani smiled. "And from her letters, she is
well situated and quite happy with Holder Reven."

"I would love to go out there and meet people," Genna nodded. "But I'm
afraid mother won't let me. Ever." At least not until she was married
off and someone else's responsibility, right?

"She's just protecting you dear," Benani sympathised. "It's dangerous
for a woman out there."

"Not if I''m fostered to someone responsible," Genna shook her head.
"I can't stay under her protection forever, after all!"

Benani's brows twitched together in puzzlement for a moment. Perhaps
the girl had some sort of pumped up dream about fostering. Right then
she remembered something her father had once said to her and she knew
it was going to come out of her mouth just as if she were the young
girl asking for something new. "You do realize that any fosterer would
have rules for you. Asking to foster just because you wish to get away
from your mother isn't a valid reason." Benani was channeling her own
father and laughing at herself in the process..

"But I bet the rules would be more reasonable than my mother's," Genna
replied with conviction. They couldn't be much stricter, after all!
"And it would mean being at a new place, with new people."

Benani chuckled. "So you may think but you'd be surprised." She waved
a hand in the air. "I'd promised your mother to throw a party to
introduce you to some of the eligible men. Would you like that?"

"A party? For me?" Though it didn't fit into her plans, Genna couldn't
help but feel flattered and she could hardly decline after everything
she'd been telling Benani. "I'd be so honoured."

"Well," Benani smiled finally seeing a spark in the girls eyes. "We'll
have to get started then."

Last updated on the November 2nd 2013

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Manipulation?