Learning the Limits

Writers: Eimi, Paula
Date Posted: 29th November 2010

Characters: Eilomar, Merlish
Description: Merlish is trying to understand how to please Eilomar.
Location: Harper Hall
Date: month 12, day 3 of Turn 5

"Will we move to the new Hall as soon as it's finished?" Merlish asked,
holding onto the Master's arm as he lead her through the corridors.

"I suppose so. Almonteo hasn't said yet who moves when. I presume I move
same time with the apprentices," Eilomar replied.

"And will we have larger quarters when we move?" That was really what
she wanted to know. It was exciting to think that they would have a
brand new home that no one had ever lived in before!

"That's what I've requested. No one knows yet what kind of quarters we
will have. There used to be small cots for families. A neat row of cute
little houses," Eilomar told her.

She thought carefully how to phrase her next question. "How many people
are those family cots meant to house?"

"Shards, my neighbour, Endras, had five or six children and they all fit
just fine," Eilomar laughed.

"They _fit_? Or they were comfortable?" she asked, thinking the
difference was rather important.

"I don't know," Eilomar admitted, not being that familiar with other
peoples familylife. "The boys moved to apprentice dorms when they hit
the age, so there probably wasn't that much space to spare."

"Then probably five or six is too many," she murmured softly, more to
herself than to him.

It took a while Eilomar to connect the dots, but when he did, he broke
into nervous sweat. He would be lucky if he managed it at all.

"Will there be bigger quarters, too?" Merlish asked hopefully. She had
come from a large family, and it was her dream to have many children.

"Oh, Faranth, I don't know. Maybe I should ask Almonteo to show you the
building plans," Eilomar said.

He sounded as if he were upset by the question. Merlish's face turned
deep red as she turned her gaze away from his face and down to the stone
floor in front of them. "I'm sorry if I annoyed you, Master Eilomar.
That was not my intention."

"Don't worry about it, Merlish. You're naturally curious. I just don't
have the answers," Eilomar tried to assure her rather clumsily.

"Do I bother you when I ask you questions?" She wasn't sure if her
being 'naturally curious' might be considered a good thing or bad.

"Well," Eilomar was first and foremost, a teacher,"how else you find out
about things?"

"Yes, but you didn't sound very happy. And I can ask too many
questions." She had even been told by an auntie once that it was a very
unladylike habit. Did Eilomar think the same way? "I just don't want
to be an annoyance to you."

"Too many questions can be annoying, especially if I can't answer them
properly," Eilomar sighed. She needed to know him if he wanted to this
marriage work better than the last one. "I'm sure you'll learn notice
when to stop," he said bit clumsily. "Ailewyn never asked questions,
like she didn't care enough to ask," he said after thoughtful pause.

"So, was I asking too many questions just now then?" She couldn't think
of any way to ask that without forming it as a question, even if he
would find it offensive. How could she learn when to stop when he
didn't tell her how far was too far.

"A little bit, yes," Eilomar admitted.

"Then I won't ask any more today." She made a mental note to keep that
promise, though Faranth knew it would be hard!

Eilomar actually laughed, she was so serious sometimes. "You can ask,
just switch the subject, " he said.

Merlish was just so afraid of annoying the choir master. It would be
her duty to provide him with a comfortable home and family. If she
could not do that, what use was she? "I will try to do better."

"You're doing just fine. You are showing interest and that does flatter
male egos," Eilomar said.

"Oh, well, I'm glad I'm doing something right then." She hadn't had
much experience with male egos outside her own family. There she felt
free to say whatever she wanted without taking their self-image into
much account. Relationships, she was finding, were much more
complicated!

Eilomar nodded and smiled at her. She was so sweet.

Last updated on the January 21st 2011

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Learning the Limits