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Myri's expression suddenly changes as she realizes she may have just started a rumor...and for something that is quite likely her own imagination. "No! I mean. Probably not. I don't know? Um, no, I'm sure it's just a drink between friends, but...maybe? Sorry, if there actually is something I need help with I'll ask, 'kay?" Myri is feeling a little hot, "Um, okay, change the question to 'I don't really know what the situation is, and I don't really know for sure if there is something wrong, what should I do to feel things out and be prepared?'" She again looks at Kalimac and Rhost expectantly, almost like she's looking for advice from her older brothers.
Kalimac blinks. "Ooohkayyyy..." He shakes his head to clear his mind. "Okay. First thing: nothing good ever came from trying to drink to forget. The best case scenario is waking up to Alaric's Boiled-Sock-Tea. If you're lucky." He follows with some Terran muttering. "אויסערדעם, אַז קאָניאַק איז די גוט שטאָפּן. איר טאָן ניט וועלן צו וויסט עס אויף בלויז מאָרד דיין מאַרך." (Now that everyone speaks Halfling, he has to choose something else for mutterings.)
"Here's what I suggest. Take a bottle of brandy to whomever. Sip it. It's good stuff, and should put both of you in a good mood. As long as you don't go overboard, things should work out for the best."
Her hand goes down, playing over the muscles of his torso, stomach, and pausing just under the edge of his pants, "How soon are we able to ask for a responsible baby sitter without being irresponsible parents?" She asks, her tongue darting out over her lower lip.
"Um, okay, change the question to "I don't really know what the situation is, and I don't really know for sure if there is something wrong, what should I do to feel things out and be prepared?"" She again looks at Kalimac and Rhost expectantly, almost like she's looking for advice from her older brothers.
"What Kalimac says," Rhost says. "Also, ask."
Myri smiles fondly up at Rhost for his as usual sage and common sense advice. "Thank you, Rhost, I will."
Kalimac dashes off to the men's wagon and retrieves a bottle of brandy from his stash.
As he hands the bottle to Myri he says, "Keep in mind this is the good stuff. It's for sipping, not guzzling. Or, if you're Rhost, it's for cooking. But for you, sipping."
Myriana smiles widely at Kalimac as she takes the bottle & at Rhost for his "Rhost's Brew". She gives both of her friends a big bear hug (one at a time), "Thanks guys, I mean it, let me know what I owe you later 'kay?" She turns towards the Women's Wagon and quickly disappears inside...at least momentarily, before emerging and saddling up a horse. If Kalimac is still in the area she throws him a wink and a smile. Probably something to do with "riding horses"...or animals in general.
Myriana smiles widely at Kalimac as she takes the bottle & at Rhost for his "Rhost's Brew". She gives both of her friends a big bear hug (one at a time), "Thanks guys, I mean it, let me know what I owe you later 'kay?" She turns towards the Women's Wagon and quickly disappears inside...at least momentarily, before emerging and saddling up a horse. If Kalimac is still in the area she throws him a wink and a smile. Probably something to do with "riding horses"...or animals in general.
"You don't owe me anything for the brandy. Or the advice," says Kalimac. "Go. Enjoy."
Myri flashes a smile over her shoulder at Kalimac with a mouthed "thank you and..we will", the thoughts <I hope> don't reach her lips.
Then her eyes go wide, her voice hurried, worried, "I mean... being parents... doesn't mean we can't do that... right?"
Her green eyes flashing with happiness, "You," emphasizing the word with a soft kiss, "do not have to ever feel guilty about asking me to do things that I enjoy." Her hand starts to slide down before she catches herself, "Soon?" A pause, "please?"
A bit later, "What interim stages make sense to you? After all you are the only one here that knows what it is like in Minkai."
"I would suggest telling those you rally to your cause of what your eventual plans are ... but let it be the plan of an empress, who will take power according to tradition and give it up in an orderly and lawful fashion," Miyaro says. "Power in the hands of the peasants is not an unheard of idea in Minkai, but there are many tales of the terrible days of the warlords when there was no law. No one will be eager to depose a tyrant only to replace him with nothing but an untried foreign notion."
"I would suggest telling those you rally to your cause of what your eventual plans are ... but let it be the plan of an empress, who will take power according to tradition and give it up in an orderly and lawful fashion," Miyaro says. "Power in the hands of the peasants is not an unheard of idea in Minkai, but there are many tales of the terrible days of the warlords when there was no law. No one will be eager to depose a tyrant only to replace him with nothing but an untried foreign notion."
"'Because we've always done it that way' might be the worst reason to do anything. Yet it's a reason many people seem to find terribly compelling. Comfort of the familiar, maybe. Fear of the road not traveled."
Mel steps so she can be alongside Alaric, her hand grabbing his, "So we put all those 'weird foreign notions' through the comforting lens of the familiar so that we can leave them with a better place to live." She smiles at Alaric and then over at Miyaro, "How many countries are there with non-aristocratic rule? Did any of them have a good relationship with Minkai prior to the tyrant's control?"
"'Because we've always done it that way' might be the worst reason to do anything."
|Sometimes that is short-hand for 'because it works best this way,'| Rhost says.
|Sometimes that is short-hand for 'because it works best this way,'| Rhost says.
"Common mistake," Alaric says in his best Rhost voice.
Mel looks from her sleeping child to the man she loves. Responsibility at war with lust and desire in her expressive green eyes and her own lust-muddled head not seeing a solution.
Mel moves carefully out of the bed and then with even more care takes the blanket nest containing Milena and puts the baby in the crib. Pausing for a moment to make sure that the green-haired infant stays asleep.
She returns to the bed with far more haste, but taking care to keep her actions very very quiet. Pausing at just the moment she is straddling his hips she smiles, leans forward, and lets her body move, just a bit, against his as she kisses him. In her subvocal whisper, when she pulls just a fraction away, "I love you."
Mel steps so she can be alongside Alaric, her hand grabbing his, "So we put all those 'weird foreign notions' through the comforting lens of the familiar so that we can leave them with a better place to live." She smiles at Alaric and then over at Miyaro, "How many countries are there with non-aristocratic rule? Did any of them have a good relationship with Minkai prior to the tyrant's control?"
"The city-state of Goka is ruled by a constitutional parliament, but it is far across the continent and many consider it to be in a unique situation. Still, it may be the best example to use; everyone is familiar with Goka," Miyaro replies.
"However, you should be aware that the great revolution in Bachuan, which overthrew the aristocracy of that land supposedly for the sake of the peasants, did not have the intended result. The 'Chairwoman' of the Sun Chamber, Grandmother Pei, is as brutal and autocratic as any of the rulers who controlled the land before the revolt. And Bachuan is nearer at hand to Minkai, across the Naikang Bay."
"It is not merely fear of the new, although that is a factor. Rapid, unconstrained change can have unintended consequences."
"It is not merely fear of the new, although that is a factor. Rapid, unconstrained change can have unintended consequences."
"So can stagnation. Really, anything and everything can have unintended consequences. I don't think that the intent of their ordered society was to give rise to a brutal tyrant, yet there he is."
"Common mistake," Alaric says in his best Rhost voice.
Rhost laughs, and claps Alaric on his back, "Well done," he says, replying with his best Alaric, "But half right -- in Galt we didn't make common mistakes."
Rhost laughs, and claps Alaric on his back, "Well done," he says, replying with his best Alaric, "But half right -- in Galt we didn't make common mistakes."
"Oh no. We came up with entirely new ways to screw up. It's the Galt way," says Alaric, grinning.
"Oh no. We came up with entirely new ways to screw up. It's the Galt way," says Alaric, grinning.
"Galty as charged," Rhost says. Rhost seems more relaxed to be near trees again.
"Galty as charged," Rhost says. Rhost seems more relaxed to be near trees again.
Alaric valiantly fights the laughter. He can't reward Rhost for a pun so cruel. So soulless. But it is no use. The laughs escape in a series of helpless snorts and rueful head shakes.
She pushes his shirt up and bends her body so that she can lay kisses down his chest. Not going to far down, enjoying the feel of his hands on her too much to break that contact just yet.
Alaric valiantly fights the laughter. He can't reward Rhost for a pun so cruel. So soulless. But it is no use. The laughs escape in a series of helpless snorts and rueful head shakes.
Rhost manages to look pleased and abashed at the same time.
When she manages to get the clothing out of the way, Melinda pauses, looking up to his sea-touched eyes. The myriad of enjoyable choices dancing through her eyes.
"Now you," he whispers, his gestures indicating he wants her naked as well.
As her fingers move to her hips and begin to pull at the laces, Melinda watches his eyes, needing to see the confirmation of his desire for her there. She parts from him for the moments needed to push the pants from her body, a quiet mumbled, [smaller]"Skirts are so much easier to take off," the only complaint.
Her hands return to his body first, fingernails playing down and over heated skin. Then her lips, tongue. Teasing, tasting. The undergarments she leaves to his hands.
He watches her in the dark, his eyes falling from hers, to her breasts, now much fuller, to the triangle of fabric hiding her. He considers his options carefully, fingers playing over her hips and sides.
Decision made, he sits up, pressing into her panties, mouth seeking her neck. He quickly undoes her bra, leaning her back to explore. After a moment: "That's a new taste," he says. Flicking her nipple one last time, he lays her back on the bed and crouches over her.
Healer's hands slip into her panties, and he strokes. Slowly. One good tease deserves another. "How do you want it? And be specific."
He quickly pulls her into a kiss swallowing any sounds of her orgasm. Then his mouth is replaced by his fingers, wet with her. "Show me. Do a good job and I'll let you have what you want."
Her vision unfocused in the afterglow, she begins to suck and lick at his fingers before she has fully returned from her pleasure. However, a smile shows at his whispered promise, command. Her tongue swirls around the digits in her mouth, lingering on nerves, her lips moving with tight promise, and her breath, controlled and strong, pulling inward. And all the while her green eyes find his, full of promise of far more delight and love.
And never one to be constrained only to commands, her hands reach between their bodies, fingers mimicking the motion of lips.
"It is not merely fear of the new, although that is a factor. Rapid, unconstrained change can have unintended consequences."
"So can stagnation. Really, anything and everything can have unintended consequences. I don't think that the intent of their ordered society was to give rise to a brutal tyrant, yet there he is."
"True," Miyaro acknowledges. "But it would seem wise to attempt to prevent such catastrophes as can reasonably be predicted from history and human nature, rather than leaving them entirely to chance."
"If not, how about in three days? & um, are we excluding the guys? I kinda hope not, since I much prefer Rhosts culinary skills to mine. Sorry, I don't really know what I'm doing if that wasn't already painfully obvious." she smiles a little abashedly.
"I had not planned on excluding anyone," Shalelu says. "And three days' time sounds reasonable to me."
Lio nods, she doesn't understand either.
"Well, at least I'm not crazy after all." She says, a little sadly, as to Zaiobe's last comment.
"What are you going to do?" She asks quietly.
<I'm not sure yet,> Zaiobe replies. <I rather hope he eventually gets over it.>
<Until he does ... it occurs to me that it may be possible for us to communicate without being physically present, if you are willing to put up with that for a while as a stopgap measure.>
Mel smiles at Koya's comment and she then proceeds to go evergreen at Alaric's reply. With a little bit of a glare at her mate as she is caught between agreeing about the actual making steps and the exhaustion of the last two weeks.
Finally with a half smile at Koya, "I'm guessing the actual challenging part hasn't started." Her smile grows as she adds, "So you find her an acceptable grandchild?"
Koya raises her eyebrows at the term, but doesn't protest. "Weren't plannin' on throwin' her back in."
Returning to the spot she left Zaiobe, Myriana appears in her normal traveling gear(like just about always), and leading one of the white Arabians the caravan was gifted with. She reaches towards Zaiobe, offering her hand. (& assuming it is taken) <I know you can fly. Doesn't matter. You're coming with me. 'kay?> and unless she resists Myri lifts (or helps) her into the saddle, mounts up after her and rides out of camp. Myri keeps her left hand on Zaiobe's exposed (thigh or waist?) so she can talk if she decides she would like to say something as they move away from the caravan.
<O ... K. I guess I am coming with you, then,> Zaiobe says, sounding puzzled.
"True," Miyaro acknowledges. "But it would seem wise to attempt to prevent such catastrophes as can reasonably be predicted from history and human nature, rather than leaving them entirely to chance."
"No one said we would be doing that," Alaric says. "I merely wanted make sure we aren't equating anarchy with evil. Power corrupts, whether it's the power inherent in being a tyrant or the power gained from steering bloodthirsty mobs. I'd like to prevent anyone I can from falling into either trap. Anyone we place on the throne should be considered a figurehead and a temporary one at that while we can transfer the task of governance to some sort of democratic republic."
Alaric considers. "Drawing up a constitution is not a bad idea. A group of us -- or all of us -- could meet and begin the document so we have it."
"Of course, this could be the most monumental case of putting the cart before the horse ever."
Returning to the spot she left Zaiobe, Myriana appears in her normal traveling gear(like just about always), and leading one of the white Arabians the caravan was gifted with. She reaches towards Zaiobe, offering her hand. (& assuming it is taken) <I know you can fly. Doesn't matter. You're coming with me. 'kay?> and unless she resists Myri lifts (or helps) her into the saddle, mounts up after her and rides out of camp. Myri keeps her left hand on Zaiobe's exposed (thigh or waist?) so she can talk if she decides she would like to say something as they move away from the caravan.<O ... K. I guess I am coming with you, then,> Zaiobe says, sounding puzzled.
<Ever ridden on a horse before? Quite different from flying I'm sure.> for some reason there is relief in Myri's tone. <Sorry, I'm a terrible judge of what people are feeling. For some reason, I thought maybe there was something that was really bothering you. So I made arrangements to get away for a little while, but it sounds like it was just me. ... ... um, if you ever do need some one to talk to, or at, I'll be here. I mean, I even got supplies you know? Thought I was being, watchu call it, proactive? Guess we can still enjoy a ride, right?>
"If not, how about in three days? & um, are we excluding the guys? I kinda hope not, since I much prefer Rhosts culinary skills to mine. Sorry, I don't really know what I'm doing if that wasn't already painfully obvious." she smiles a little abashedly."I had not planned on excluding anyone," Shalelu says. "And three days' time sounds reasonable to me."
Three days hence, after speaking with Rhost and inviting everyone in the caravan (including all known sentient creatures) a party is thrown. Help would also have been solicited for anything that anyone would have thought to be appropriate.