Nothing Official

Writers: AL, Vix
Date Posted: 20th September 2008

Characters: Marida, Tanas
Description: Marida mentions to Tanas that someone has been going through her things.
Location: Garnet Valley Hold
Date: month 11, day 22 of Turn 4
Notes: Takes place after "Need To Know"

Marida got rather nervous when she had gone to her trunk and found that
things has been shifted. Her clothing had been rearranged, though done
so carefully as if the person didn't want her to notice. But who?
Tanas had been at work. Would someone else have come? If so, why?
What did they own that anyone else would want?

When Tanas arrived that evening, Marida didn't say anything at first.
She served dinner, sweeping away the plates as soon as they had both
finished and scrubbing them furiously to be sure they were spotless.
It was only after she had done that, made cups of klah for both of
them, and set one down before her husband when she said anything.
"Tanas...I...I found something strange today."

He had been reaching for his mug when she said that but jerked upright,
spilling the hot liquid onto the table. "What. . . what?"

"Oh!" Marida rushed for a cloth and hurried back to the table to wipe
up the mess before it could spill upon the floor or burn Tanas. When
she had it under control, she started again, "I think someone might
have come into our cot while I was gone."

"Someone. . . who?" He narrowed his eyes as he considered this. He had
been there, but had someone else? "How do you know?"

"Well...I wouldn't have noticed anything except..." Marida left the
cloth upon the table and lowered herself back into her chair. "Well,
there were some things that had been in my trunk that were moved - out
of place."

He coughed at that revelation, raising his napkin to his lips to hide
his face. He thought he had returned her things to their correct
places. When he felt he was back in control, he spoke up again.
"Nothing else?"

"No." Marida couldn't help but feel a bit foolish. Had she been
imagining things? "I know it sounds silly..." Silly, strange, and
like she was going senile. Yet, she was certain her things had been
moved around and certain of how she had put them. She had her own
order and she knew how she left things.

Tanas rose to his feet, suddenly realizing how he could bring up the
topic on his mind without revealing his snooping. "Show me what's been
disturbed."

That startled Marida and she took a look back toward their bedroom with
a nervous air. "I...well, some of the things are rather...private."

He turned to look at her. "I'm your husband."

Marida opened and closed her mouth a few times and blushed brightly.
"I...N...never mind. I'm probably just imagining things anyway." She
turned her back, hurrying over to the sink for a plate to wash, only
finding that she had already done them. They had been set out to dry
so she took them up and began to put them away.

He watched her helplessly before squaring his shoulders and heading for
the sleeping room. "Then I'll check on things myself."

"What?" Marida looked away from the cabinet where she had just
replaced the plates, her eyes widening. "Wait...wait, no Tanas, it's
really not that big of a deal. I'm probably just imagining things."
She moved away from the kitchen as she spoke, approaching her husband
and tugging at his elbow.

He turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes. "Is there something that
you don't want me to see?"

Marida shied away from his gaze and looked down at her feet. "I
just...have some private things. I mean...I know you're my husband
it's
just...they're...they're private."

"Women shouldn't have secrets from their husbands."

Red coloured the young woman's cheeks and she stared down at the floor.
She made no more protest, but merely went back over to her chair and
lowered herself into it only to move her stare from floor to table.
If he was going to search through her things, she wouldn't stop him.
She _couldn't_ stop him.

Taking her silence as permission, he strode into the sleeping room and
opened the trunk, reaching into the side where he had seen the book.

When Tanas returned, Marida was still in her chair, but her body had
changed somewhat. Her back was hunched a little, the bow of her head
deeper, her hands clenching at the skirt of her dress. Her whole body
was tense and she winced visibly as if expecting some verbal
onslaught. After all, that was exactly what she had received when her
father had made the discovery.

"I assume that nothing is missing?" he said to her as he sat in the
chair opposite her.

"No, nothing." Shards, why had she even mentioned it? Nothing was
missing, so why was it such a big deal? Well, the fact that perhaps
someone had been in the cot had concerned her, that's why.
Unfortunately...

He laid the book on the table. "What's this?"

Unfortunately the book he had found was something she hadn't wanted him
to see. When her father had found out, her ears rang for days
afterwards. "M...my...my sketchbook." She answered timidly, hands
trembling as they clutched at her skirt.

He turned the page to look at the first sketch and then the next before
glancing toward her. "How long have you been doing this?"

"I...I don't know." It wasn't a very good answer. "I don't remember
not drawing." Of course, her earlier drawings had only been
scribbles, of course. Though, her mother had saved a few pieces of on
upon which she had sketched some drawings of people when she had been
three. Their heads and bodies were comprised of one big circle, the
arms and legs merely sticks haphazardly poking out in approximately
the right directions. The eyes were awkward ovals, one often bigger
than the other. Sometimes there was a nose, a similar, wonky oval
complimented with a line for a mouth. That had been the beginning,
she supposed.

He turned another page. "You've not studied drawing at all?"

Marida visibly cringed. There, that was the question that would bring
about the shouting and no doubt he would take her sketches and either
tear them up or burn them. "Not...not officially. A...a harper
taught me a little but...but nothing official."

"Of course nothing official," he said, waving his hand dismissively,
his eyes on the next sketch. "Why have I never seen you draw?"

"I...I didn't think you would approve." Her father certainly hadn't,
and his reaction had coloured Marida's outlook on who she should show
what she had done. "I thought you'd be angry."

That statement gave him pause. "Should I be?"

"My father was." The words were almost a whisper and she couldn't bear
to look up at her husband. Was he angry? Did he disapprove? Would he
let her continue to draw?

"Oh." Again Tanas thought over her response. Should he be angry at her?
He had no experience with such things. His mother did not draw, nor
did his sisters, but they had other hobbies, usually forms of
needlework. He glanced down at the sketchbook. "You didn't let it
interfere with your chores, did you?"

Marida shook her head. "Oh...oh no. He just...he just didn't think it
was...proper."

The man pursed his lips to contemplate before replying. "I suppose
there's nothing wrong with it – for now." He would have to check with
a few other husbands – discretely of course – to see if there were
some problem that he was missing.

Marida's hands clutched at her skirt and her throat tightened. For
now. That meant he might take it away from her. "Please!" She spurted
before she could catch herself. She stared at her husband, her eyes
wet and wide. "Please don't make me stop." Her mouth stayed open for
a moment before she let her eyes drop once more and seemed to try and
shrink into the chair.

Tanas frowned at this burst of emotion. "Why. .. " He stopped, staring
down at the sketchpad thoughtfully, then back up at her. "Go ahead and
draw. But don't be so secretive about it."

When Marida's gaze was lifted, her eyes were shining with an emotion
that was a mixture of gratefulness and respect. "Thank you." She
whispered." She could draw. He wasn't going to make her stop. She
could draw!

He couldn't help but smile at her response. He had not realized that
such a simple thing could make her happy. Covering his wonder at that,
he lifted his mug. "How about some more klah? And then a game of
cards?"

The smile that Tanas received held more warmth than all the smiles she
had given him thus far put together. She jumped up, eager to please
and took his mug without hesitation. "Klah...cards. Yes." She could
draw! He wouldn't stop her! Oh but if her father knew...but he
wouldn't. And even if he did, it wasn't his say anymore. Tanas was
her husband and she was no longer under her father's law. She just
hoped that he wouldn't change his mind.

Last updated on the September 20th 2008

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

Nothing Official