Uncertain Tea

Writers: Suzee, Heather
Date Posted: 7th February 2014
Series: The Unwanted Sister

Characters: Coran, Arippa
Description: Coran and Arippa talk about the rumors regarding Reven and Relea
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 5, day 2 of Turn 7
Notes: EFH-GVh

Mentioned: Reven, Relea

Arippa

Coran didn't often make personal calls to individuals' living
quarters, mostly because the senior journeyman could hand that duty
off to one of the less experience journeymen. This case, however, was
a little different, and so Coran felt the need to go himself. Packing
up a few things into his healer's bag, Coran walked toward Reven and
Arippa's quarters. He passed by his brother's office without stopping
in. Coran was nothing, if not professional, and if Arippa wanted to
see him confidentially then he wouldn't mention a word of it to Reven.

He knocked on Arippa's door.

Arippa had dismissed her maids in preparation for the healer's visit
wanting to make certain there would be no ears to hear what she wanted
to ask. So when she heard the knock, she rose from her small table and
went to open the door herself.

"Welcome Coran," she smiled and stepped back to invite her
brother-in-law into the room.

Coran gave his sister by marriage a smile as he entered the room, his
eyes glancing about briefly since it was the first time he had seen
the quarters since the new lady had arrived, "I trust that everything
is okay?" He said firstly. He couldn't imagine giving Reven any sort
of bad news where it concerned the man's wife.

"Yes, its fine," she said with a smile. It was amazing to some people
how much Coran looked like Reven but as a twin she had a little bit of
perspective and would never confuse the two men. "I just need some
more of the tea."

"No heirs any time soon then?" He said with a joking smile as he set
his healer's bag down on the table and began pulling out the necessary
ingredients for the tea. It would only take him a moment to mix it up
for Arippa.

"It's not like that," she said turning pink. She closed her eyes and
sat down heavily on a nearby chair. Her hands went to her forehead and
rubbed at her temples. She was so confused and had no one to turn to
here. It had been weeks since she'd heard from Jeyme, not that she
really expected to, and though Faldrimme was only a note away it
wasn't the same as having her sister here to talk to.

Coran peered over his shoulder at his sister by marriage, "You want to
talk about it?" He asked gently, his hands pausing as he watched her
rub at her temples. As a healer Coran was fairly use to listening to
people, and he wagered himself fairly good at it.

She looked up at him with all her brokenness in her eyes. "How do you
handle all the talk about Reven and Relea?" She shook her head and
looked back down toward her hands and the fingers twisting together.
"I love him you know," she took a deep breath wishing her friend Jeyme
or her sister were here to talk to instead. "I just don't know if I
can trust him."

The healer pulled a chair to sit near Arippa, "How do I handle it? I
try not to listen, mostly. Of course it bothers me, rumors about my
betrothed sleeping with my brother?" Coran made a face before
continuing, "At the end of the day, though, I just have to trust what
Reven and Relea tell me. Why should Relea lie to me about it? There
are a lot of women out across Pern who get rewarded very nicely as the
holder's mistress. And Reven, why would he lie about it to you? You
are basically his now that you two are married. Holders rarely hide
their affairs, why should they? Who will oppose them? I see no way for
either of them to profit from a lie."

Coran leaned back in his chair. This was probably the most
conversation he and Arippa had ever had, "Let me tell you about Reven,
he has only ever had one serious woman in his life, and that was at
Red Rush. I've never seen him hang out with other women, flirt with
other women, shells, the man is basically clueless when it comes to
women. Someone could be fawning all over him and he wouldn't know it.
Reven has always had one thing on his mind- farming. He loved working
with the land and he did it with his full attention. The only thing
that I have ever seen Reven as serious about... is you."

Her eyes narrowed after a moment. "Then I don't understand why he was
so angry that I asked him about it Coran. He was _so_ angry that he
stalked out of my room and slept who knows where that night. _That_ is
the reaction of a guilty man not an innocent one." She shook her head.
"We both appologized but... I don't know. It still bothers me and I
don't know how to make that stop."

"Wouldn't you have been mad if he had questioned your honor? Reven has
a.... well he's.... how do I put it? He has a huge ego. The fact that
his wife had to ask him if he was faithful to her most likely was a
blow to his manhood. Reven believes in being honorable and living by
your word." Coran lifted his shoulders in a shrug, "I don't know
though, I'm just the man's brother."

"No," she said and stood. "What is it about men and their stupid
pride." Arippa began to pace up and down the room. "It was just a
question and he could have explained it instead of going off like a
flock of startled runner." She shook her head. "But you don't believe
the rumors then?"

Coran left his chair and went back to the table he had been working
at, "No, don't believe the rumors," he tied off the small pouch before
turning to Arippa and placing the tea pouch in her hands, "and,
sister, I suggest you don't either."

She sighed and placed the pouch into a drawer in her jewelry box. "Do
you love her then?"

The journeyman smiled, tilting his head, "I don't know if I call it
love yet, but.... She is the first woman I have even considered since
my wife died." Coran always looked forward to seeing Relea, and there
was something about her that made him want to protect and take care of
her.

"Alright," she turned and smiled at her brother in law. "I'll try to
like her for your sake."

Last updated on the March 26th 2014

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Uncertain Tea