Riada, Ebon Askavi, Askavi, Kaeleer, Afternoon, Wednesday (Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

"So this is Riada," Karla said, looking around at the village Lucivar had chosen to call his own. "It looks happy. Prosperous. Familiar, too, but I can't figure out why

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[skillet_wielder]

As she set the brass bucket next to the woodpile, Marian felt her back muscles and threaten to seize up. Again. Studying the woodpile, she raised one hand and used Craft to lift the pieces of wood and set them in the basket.

Luthvian would criticize and sneer, saying--again--that it was laziness to use Craft for simple things, but Marian didn't care. Using Craft instead of straining muscles wasn't laziness, it was practical--especially since her back had already seized up once today while she was scrubbing the kitchen floor.

Odd how gentle Luthvian had been when she'd come into the kitchen and found Marian on the floor, unable to get up. At that moment, she'd been all Healer, skilled and efficient. But the quiet words she'd said as she eased the pain were the same ones she'd been saying--the useless wings were causing the back pain. Removing them was the only way Marian would fully heal

[changeable_eyes]

The basket vanished before Marian could touch it, reappearing a moment later, waist high and just out of reach. Then it fell to the ground with a heavy thunk.

"Perhaps I wasn't clear enough when I told you to take it easy for a few days." The voice didn't bother hiding the ripple of anger beneath the mildly spoken words.

[skillet_wielder]

Marian turned; standing near her were Jaenelle and another witch who seemed oddly familiar but whom she couldn't place.

"Lady Angelline." Marian swallowed hard, unable to look away those sapphire eyes. She felt as if fingertips were passing over her body, just above her skin.

[glacial_queen]

"You haven't done any permanent damage," Karla announced a moment later, pulling her Craft tendrils back, "but--"

[worldsbestmum]

"Marian!" Luthvian's voice lashed out through the open kitchen windows. "Are you going to dawdle all night over a few pieces of wood? You have chores to finish."

[glacial_queen]

Something deadly flashed in jaenelle's eyes, gone so fast Karla wouldn't have even seen it if she hadn't known what to look for.

...Or maybe she would have, if Marian's spooked expression was anything to go by.

"Lady, let me--"

[changeable_eyes]

"No." Jaenelle's voice was a whipcrack, a hint of the Abyss seeping in at the edges. "I will. Marian, pack your things. You're leaving. Karla, accompany Marian upstairs."

"But--" Marian's protest was immediately cut off.

"Now!"

[worldsbestmum]

Marian took off like a jackrabbit--as much as she could, anyway, moving on obviously stiff legs. Not that her visible soreness mollified Luthvian's temper any as she stepped out of the kitchen door.

"Hell's fire, girl!" she snapped. "Where's the wood? Can't you do anything--" She froze, the two strong psychic scents in her yard belatedly informing her of her 'guests' that'd she'd overlooked in the waning light and her frustration with Marian. "Good evening, Jaenelle," she said, attempting to mask her newfound wariness with a pleasant smile. "...Karla."

[changeable_eyes]

"Good evening, Luthvian." Jaenelle glided forward with unnatural grace until she stood next to Marian. A half footstep later, Karla stood on Marian's other side, a display of power and support that Luthvian couldn't ignore. "Marian is leaving. Her skills are required elsewhere."

[glacial_queen]

"Luthvian." Karla's return greeting was just as clipped and cool as Luthvian's own. She did, however, hold her hands out in formal greeting, palm down. She did not move from Marian's side, simply held her hands out with a bland, little smile.

To ignore the formal greeting would be an insult to Karla. Protocol demanded that the outranked witch place her palms beneath the proffered hands, leaving her wrists vulnerable to nails. Since it was Luthvian's home and she was their elder, the nice thing to do would have been for Karla to close the distance between them before offering the greeting. But Karla wasn't feeling nice.

And so Luthvian had to leave her doorway and cross to where they were standing, sliding her hands, palms up, beneath Karla's hands. "Always a pleasure," Karla said, reinforcing once again that she was Luthvian's superior in strength, caste, and social rank. From the angry trembling of Luthvian's hands, she knew that the older woman knew exactly what it was that she was enjoying

[worldsbestmum]

Luthvian barely pressed her palms to Karla's before she was snatching her hands away, balling them into fists at her side.

"We need to discuss this," she said to Jaenelle, ignoring Marian and Karla completely.

[changeable_eyes]

"Fine," Jaenelle replied. "We'll discuss it while Karla helps Marian pack her things."

[glacial_queen]

The air crackled with suppressed tempers. Karla saw Marian hunch over slightly, the center of this conflict and nervous because of it. *Jaenelle, let me--*

[changeable_eyes]

*I told you what you were to do,* Jaenelle said. Her psychic thread practically hummed with fury. *Don't argue with me about this, Karla. Take Marian and go inside. Help her pack. Be quick about it.*

*But--*

For a moment Jaenelle's grip on her temper faltered. *Damn it all, someone will obey me when I say something!* And just as quickly, it was leashed and tucked away. When her voice came again, it was weary and apologetic. *Please, Karla? Just do this. I know you'd LOVE the opportunity to go up one side of Luthvian and down the other, but this was my mistake. I will fix it. Just help Marian get away from here as soon as possible. Okay?*

[worldsbestmum]

"I don't know what you expect to do with her," Luthvian sniffed, folding her arms over her chest. "She's adequate, but anyone who pays wages for her work will be disappointed."

[glacial_queen]

Karla had been reaching out to offer an arm to Marian but stopped at that, turning her head slowly to face Luthvian again. "Say that again," she said, her smile almost sweet.