Advice

Writers: AL, Heather
Date Posted: 2nd January 2016
Series: The Unwanted Sister

Characters: Reven, Relea, Corette
Description: Reven and Corette see Relea in the gardens.
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Arippa, Pippa

Reven

Relea

Despite the heat, Relea found herself outside. The day called for a light
frock, a pretty, flowing yellow dress with capped sleeves and empire
waist. She had made a hat to match it which kept the sun off of her face.
Although it was her favourite colour, even the cheeriness of it could not
lift her spirits.

She was alone. In all the Hold, only two knew her language and if she
wanted to converse with anyone else, Relea would have to resort to the
clunky and painfully slow writing upon a little board. If she could have
anything in the world at that very moment, what Relea wanted most was
someone she could 'talk' to, someone she could easily converse with that
didn't require a stylus and chalk. The two friends she'd once had were
gone, her step mother had died long before, and Leaton was certainly not
the sort of person she would ever confide in. Although she had thought
about going to Reven, she'd decided that wouldn't be prudent. The last
thing she needed was to start another wave of rumours about the two of
them. Instead, all she could do was sit upon the bench in the garden and
stare down at the pink flowers that turned their faces up to the sun.

"Really, mother, she's only twenty-one." Reven said, clearly in an
exasperated tone as he escorted his mother through the garden.

Corette cut her eyes at Reven, "The longer she waits, Reven, the more
difficult it will be to find her a suitable husband. She's already a
crafter and that's as harmful to her reputation as her age."

Reven pursed his lips a little. He knew that if Renette could hear this
conversation now she would lose her temper. While he understood his
parents' point of view, Reven also had a soft spot when it came to his
eldest sister, and he couldn't imagine trying to badger her about marriage
when she'd only just moved home after Turns away at the Harper Hall.

He was just opening his mouth to change the topic when he spotted Relea on
a bench by herself.

"Look." Reven began steering his mother in Relea's direction.

Corette was all smiles the moment her daughter-in-law came into view. "I
wonder what the dear is doing out here by herself."

"Let's find out." He said just before they stepped into Relea's line of
sight.

The motion drew her attention upward and when Relea realised who had
approached her, she managed something of a smile. Her hands lifted and she
signed to Reven, then nodded politely to Corette as a greeting that the
woman would be able to understand. "Hello."

"Have a seat, mother." Reven directed her to the bench adjacent to where
Relea sat.

Corette adjusted her skirts as she did just that and turned her face so
that her daughter-in-law could read her lips clearly. "How are you, dear?"

Reven sat between them, poised to translate.

"I'm all right, thank you." That wasn't the truth, but Relea wasn't going
to burden the woman with her problems. Besides, she was Coran's mother,
and as nice as she was, the last thing she needed to hear about was their
fights. "How are you?" At least Reven was staying so she didn't have to
use her awkward stylus.

"She wants to know how you are." Reven told his mother.

"Oh, I am quite well. As long as we're sitting here," she reached into the
little bag that she carried and pulled out some embroidery, "I promised
Arippa I would try to get this finished for Pippa."

Reven raised his eyebrow at the pink, flowery embroidery that was being put
on a white night gown. Shaking his head a little, Reven looked back up at
Relea, using his hands now that his mother was busy with her sewing.

"What's up? You don't look 'all right'." His signing wasn't as smooth as
his brother's he knew, but then he didn't use it as regularly either.

Relea's gaze flickered to Corette, then back to Reven. Should she? The
rumours that had caused so much heartache hadn't resurfaced, unless that
had been what Coran hadn't been telling her, but could anyone chatter about
the two of them when they had his own mother as an escort, so to speak?
After a moment of deliberation, Relea decided to confide in him. Who else
could she talk to? "Coran and I had a fight."

Surprise showed on Reven's face as he quickly signed, "What about?"

"He's not been himself lately." Relea didn't want to talk bad about her
husband, but she needed to talk with _someone_. "When we were courting and
when we were first married he was so warm, but now...now he's more
distant. I'm not sure if I've done something or if something else is
bothering him. He didn't seem to want to talk about it and got angry when
I tried to get him to open up to me." Which was rather hypocritical after
what he'd said to her months ago, but Relea was trying to let that go.

Reven considered the situation, wondering what could be bothering his
brother. "When we were growing up, Coran was always quiet, he's always been
pretty reserved." He couldn't ever remember his brother showing much
emotion when it came to being vulnerable. "He became more outgoing when he
met you, we all noticed that."

"Even so, what changed with me? I find it odd that he would be so
welcoming and open with me only to suddenly change like this." Relea
hesitated, then admitted, "I was much the same. He mentioned to me that he
wanted me to open up to him more, but now he's closing himself off to me.
I don't know what to do."

Reven glanced sideways at his mother, to make sure she wasn't feeling left
out of the conversation, but Corette was happy as a clam working on her
embroidery.

"Just because he's behaving differently doesn't mean it has anything to do
with you. Maybe he can't express what he's feeling." Reven knew he hadn't
been able to talk to anyone after he'd gotten back, not even to Arippa.

"But why? He must be feeling something. What could have happened to make
him shut off like that?" The last bad thing that had happened had been the
miscarriage of their first child, but that had been some time ago. Relea
wished she had an answer or that Reven could have one for her. "What do
you think I should do?"

Reven lifted his shoulders, even though he and Coran were the closest
siblings in age, he had never been able to understand his brother as well
as he did Renette.

"Give him some space, that's what Arippa did for me. I hated to have people
asking me what was wrong all the time. I'll talk to him too, just to see if
he has anything to say."

Relea nodded slowly. She didn't want to give him space, because if she
did, the space might just get wider. At the same time, she didn't want to
anger him which would wind up causing the same result. "I'll try."

Reven reached out and gave his sister-in-law an encouraging squeeze on the
shoulder before turning to his mother. "I need to get back to my office.
Would you like me to escort you inside or were you planning on staying out
there?"

"Oh, it's so nice out today I believe I'll stay for a bit longer. I can
find my own way." Corette reached up and patted Reven's face.

Arching an eyebrow, Reven stood and left the two women.

Relea watched her brother in law go, wondering why Corette had remained
behind. Although she knew some sort of communication had passed between
them, Reven had been between her and her mother in law, so she'd not been
able to read her lips well enough to tell what was said. After Reven
slipped out of sight, she offered a smile to the other woman.

Corette merely returned Relea's smile, content to merely sit in silence
beside of her daughter-in-law and sew.

Last updated on the January 12th 2016

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