(no subject)
Helen’s trip managed to surprise her.
She wasn’t fond of the long trip across the desert, the impromptu lessons with no books and the condescending attention of people who didn’t know who she was, and who she wasn’t allowed to inform. The condescension dropped out of most of their voices after the first week, though. Even at nearly thirteen, short and obstinate and almost as flat-chested as any of the young boys from their caravan (though with the big bulky sweaters she wore it wouldn’t have shown even if she wasn’t. Which was the point.), she was developing a reputation as a formidable woman. This pleased Helen, sourly, though it seemed to make her teachers tired.
The suprising thing is that when they got to the warlord’s and the politics and inspection and science and managing to disassemble such a dangerous weapon slowly and in stages, and searching for the plans and confiscating them, and using politics to establish how exactly these young scientists had come by how to create these weapons and if they were interested in returning to the House of Uquar to share their knowledge and study under house-arrest and supervision (three of them were. The other was executed. It was a kinder fate than exiling him, which was what the warlord had suggested, but Helen wasn’t there for that.), well , she found herself enjoying putting into practice what she had spent her whole life learning.
The trip back across the desert was an anxious one, because she had been gone from home for too long and was sick of the inability to sequester herself in her room and have some peace.
There is so much to do at the House, though, that she can’t do that at home either. So two days after she returns, she grabs a few books and goes to the bar.
She wasn’t fond of the long trip across the desert, the impromptu lessons with no books and the condescending attention of people who didn’t know who she was, and who she wasn’t allowed to inform. The condescension dropped out of most of their voices after the first week, though. Even at nearly thirteen, short and obstinate and almost as flat-chested as any of the young boys from their caravan (though with the big bulky sweaters she wore it wouldn’t have shown even if she wasn’t. Which was the point.), she was developing a reputation as a formidable woman. This pleased Helen, sourly, though it seemed to make her teachers tired.
The suprising thing is that when they got to the warlord’s and the politics and inspection and science and managing to disassemble such a dangerous weapon slowly and in stages, and searching for the plans and confiscating them, and using politics to establish how exactly these young scientists had come by how to create these weapons and if they were interested in returning to the House of Uquar to share their knowledge and study under house-arrest and supervision (three of them were. The other was executed. It was a kinder fate than exiling him, which was what the warlord had suggested, but Helen wasn’t there for that.), well , she found herself enjoying putting into practice what she had spent her whole life learning.
The trip back across the desert was an anxious one, because she had been gone from home for too long and was sick of the inability to sequester herself in her room and have some peace.
There is so much to do at the House, though, that she can’t do that at home either. So two days after she returns, she grabs a few books and goes to the bar.