The Travels of Anadrasata Nearabhigan: Day 17
The Pearlish Queen, and Anadrasata, continue on.
This piece runs to 1,146 words and I hope that you enjoy them.
Index Page.
Skaithosday, 27 Ochd, 1893 C.E.
Dear Journal,
Aside from the storm, last night was blessedly undisturbed.
I found out at breakfast that I cannot read a ship's schedule properly. It turns out that although Sumetteyeri is our fourth point of call, we do not reach there until tomorrow. According to Colonel Dhaiharai and the dh'Bhaiettree gentlemen this coastline is uninhabited for some hundreds of Imperial leagues and all attempts at settlement have failed. As in fishing boats returning home to everyone dead type failed. Mr Rhaimghaim added that the current theory involves massive, sudden upwellings of a noxious gas from the depths of the ocean. We will be stopping today but at a naval refuelling station (in exchange for transporting in fresh food stuffs for the crew). No passengers will be leaving or boarding today - the provincial transport hub is near the northern coast for 'political reasons' so stopping there is not an option for us.
I noticed that Lady Saidhelait came in later than Miss Ghaighain this morning and sat with her, Major Ghaighain, and Major Vhenghahair for breakfast. Later, on my walk around the promenade deck, I passed her ladyship and Major Vhenghahair talking animatedly with each other while they circled the deck in the opposite direction to me.
I continue to find my studies of Coatl soothing. Today's chapter seemed appropriate because it dealt with emotions. Interestingly Coatl has two 'modes' for emotions - one where you wear it (like clothes) and the other where it takes you over or you become it. I am not quite sure where my feelings on, well, everything fit into that at the moment. One day, one activity, at a time gets us through, as they say.
I took some time to have a look at the refuelling station, from the promenade deck, while we were tied up there. It has been cut into the mountain well above sea level - higher I think than the tallest building in Amnestri. There is a platform of debris and plants down at sea level and I thought that I could make out the outline of a building so this was probably the site of a failed settlement many years ago.
Lord Retneseri sat beside me at lunch today, the first such meal that was not followed by a safety briefing, and introduced me to his fellow countrymen, Mr Eweng, Mr Nuir, and Mr Zakra. They all assured me that most people in the Kerajaa go by only one name, even if there is an acknowledged family name. (It seems strange to me, but it is an entirely different country.) The three gentlemen aren't travelling together but they are returning home from doing business in the Empire. Specifically, they are merchants dealing respectively in spices, jewels, and silks. We discussed, briefly, their impressions of the Empire, and touched on the point that Mr Nuir and Mr Zakra had some clients in common. (Very wealthy clients I suspect.) Because I both do and oversee the kitchen and stillroom shopping at home, I was able to ask Mr Eweng some more intelligent questions about spices - and I learned some useful things about some of the more exotic things I've seen in the spice shops in Umbrial. I moved the conversation from there onto Kerajaan food and, as I am to stay four nights there in government hostels, I asked what I should eat and what I should avoid. All four gentlemen had lots of advice that I hope to apply.
After lunch I took two turns around the promenade deck and then took my embroidery to the balcony parlor. The usual collection of ladies was there, I understand that Lady Rhainail spends the afternoons napping and then playing with/instructing her children, and we embroidered and read together. Miss Aidelaist dh'Zhangain asked me why, as my mother had asked me to embroider the table runner and yesterday's discussion had happened, (she was there for the whole thing and perhaps we should not have put that upon her), I was still working on it. I replied that, firstly, I enjoy embroidery, and secondly, there was going to be at least one difficult talk with my mother when I got home, and I didn't want her to have an unfinished or badly completed piece of work to give her any additional ammunition for that occasion. Miss Aidelaist considered the matter for a few moments, and then agreed that seemed wise. Her mother gave me an approving nod when Miss Aidelaist bent her head over her work again.
The Dowager Countess joined us just before the tea tray arrived and Miss Ghaighain was pouring for us when Mr Rhaimais and Mr Rhaimghairn joined us. They assured us that they were just after a cup of tea each, having been on the fringe of a discussion in the lounge about the responsibilities of inheritance and cultural artifacts - they neither of them had direct involvement in such things and had decided to abandon the floor to those who did and have Opinions.
At dinner I was seated between Major Ghaighain and Mr Nuir at the Chief Engineer's table. Major Ghaighain and I made general chit-chat, he is disembarking in Sumetteyeri to transfer on to his next posting, so he leaves us tomorrow. He and Miss Ghaighain plan to remain in touch, and also to contact their own close families to find out if there is more to the familial schism than they know. Mr Nuir explained "the bulk trade" to me, that is the trade in not-jewel quality gems. That is, there is a market for gems that are too flawed, too cloudy, or completely (in a bad way) the wrong colour. It was really quite interesting. And the different types of pearls - I had no idea how many types of shellfish you can get them from! [If I really do have money, I think I would like to get a string of one of the more unusual, but cheaper, types of pearl.]
I poured tea again this evening - after wine at dinner and my glass of fortified wine I thought my emotions were getting a little too close to the surface for polite conversation. I turned down a game of shabh-hab with Captain Rhorsail on the grounds that my shabh-hab is only marginally better than my koh, and we both wound up playing at a second maistoto table with Mr dh'Bhaittree and Dr Ghairn. I'm afraid that Dr Ghairn is too excitable in his play to be really good at maistoto - he tends to get carried away with his own good hands and he has blatant tells. Honours for the six hands we played were fairly evenly divided between the other two gentlemen and myself, and the Doctor could have done better if he'd followed through on his plays.
Anadrasata Nearabhigan