The tavern was rather crowded at this time of day. Kay idly wished she were taller, so that she could get a better view. Fortunately, they spotted a small table that had been so far overlooked. Kay flopped into one of the seats with a sigh of delight. As great as the temptation was, she didn't want to be caught staring all around her like some tourist fresh off one of the Big Ships.
Gwenn followed Kay to the small table and paused, trying to decide what to do with the packages. He settled for placing them under the table in a spot that would be (hopefully) out of the way, then sat down. Gwenn looked all around him as though he had never before seen the inside of the restaurant.
Kay giggled and gave into the temptation to look around, prtending that she was just looking for a server. "I wonder", she inquired, "how we are expected to find someone to serve us. Do they come to us, or us to them ?". Watching the people around them was interesting, but not of much help. On Terra, the servers always wore obvious uniforms. Here things were different and confusing. Perhaps the best choice would be to just sit here awhile longer, and wait to see if anyone would come over. But not for too long. All these smells were making her feel more hungry than ever.
Gwenn was about to respond that he didn't know when a woman approached their table, several strands of her curly dark-brown hair escaping from the butterfly clasp pinning her hair at the back of her neck. "Lerrys! Water for two!" she yelled to a lad who couldn't have been more than 7 years old at the most. He headed for the kitchen. The woman turned to Kay & Gwenn. "I am Margali, mestru, mestra. How may I serve you?" she asked.
Gwenn looked at the serving wench, then looked inquiringly at Kay. Kay stood up and bowed politely. "I am pleased to make your acquitance, mestra Margali. I am Kay MacDonald and this is my companion Recruit MacConal. If you could bring some hard cheese and some of your freshest dark bread and fruit, that would be delightful. And I have heard of a drink called jaco, that tastes somewhat like Terran bitter-sweet chocolate. It sounds like something I would enjoy."
She then paused and sat back down, so that Gwenn could order anything else. Some people liked meat and/or alcoholic beverages with every meal, but neither of those items were common in her own diet (though she would consume them occassionally, or if she was a guest and had them offered to her).
Gwenn carefully observed Kay place her order. When she was finished, he stood up and bowed politely. "I would like some stew, bread, and a cup of shallan, mestra Margali," he said.
Margali smiled politely as they placed their order. She had realized quickly that the recruit was most likely new to the city, but realized as Kay placed her order that she was also not familiar with the city. "Do you prefer hard or soft cheese, and any preferences as to fruits in season? I can bring a mix if you wish to try different kinds, mestra," she said to Kay.
"Any mixture will be fine, thank you. I will trust in your good taste", Kay replied gratefully. Not knowing how any of them tasted (except for redberry), this was likely the safest answer. It was polite, avoided making her look TOO much like a stranger, and would hurry food to the table.
"Would you like rabbithorn stew or would you like to try our house speciality, lamb stew? Do you wish your shallan mildly-spiced or well-spiced, mestru?" she asked Gwenn.
Gwenn hesitated, then said, "I would like to try the lamb stew. As for the shallan, in the Hellers manner?" he asked shyly. "Spicy it is!" Margali declared. "Very good mestru, mestra. The meal will be out shortly.
Lerrys had approached the table with two mugs and a pitcher of water and was standing patiently--as patiently as a six-year-old can--to serve Gwenn and Kay. After Margali finished taking their orders, she gestured to Lerrys; he bowed to Gwenn and Margali, placed the mugs on the table, and filled them with water without spilling a drop. It was quite a feat, since he was only about a head taller than the table. "Mestru, mestra," he said and waited a few moments, hoping for a tip.
Kay grinned widely. She reached through the side slit of her skirt (into the pocket of her uniform) and pulled out a small coin. "Good lad", she told Lerrys, "Please accept this with my compliments".
Gwenn noticed and began reached for his pouch, but he was wearing his uniform and so the pouch was in a different place. By the time he found it and started looking for a small coin, Lerrys had bowed happily to Kay and left.
Kay then turned back to Gwenn. There was no time like the present. And waiting wouldn't make it any easier to tell. "As I recall, mestru", she began, "I feel I owe you an explanation for reacting more harshly than was justified. It seems that I know only enough about this culture to say exactly the wrong things at the wrong time".
"I was born on this planet many years ago", she continued. "But we left when I was very young, so I don't remember much of it. Mother, Father and I moved to Terra and stayed with my father's parents in a place called Skye". A wistful look passed across her face. As much as she missed it, she'd hadn't completely fit in there any more than she had at university (or here either).
With an expression of deep sadness and longing, Kay confessed "Hearing you mention your family (you must love them and miss them very much), makes me wish mine was larger. All that's left is my parents and I. As for any other other family, I know them not.", she continued sadly.
This had always been a sore point while Kay was growing up. "Being an only child, I often felt smothered and over-protected by their often-well-meant intentions. Everyone else I knew, had brothers and sisters to share this burden. They even had cousins and aunts and uncles. Yet when I asked where were mine, all I was told was that there had been no contact since my father's parents came to Terra and that I should leave things as they lay", she explained.
She paused for a moment, feeling her courage waver once again. Gwenn drew breath to speak, but realizing that Kay wasn't finished, he held his thoughts for a little longer.
Telling herself firmly *Go ahead and FINISH what you've started*, Kay got a grip on her failing courage and pushed out the rest of the words as if she were pulling splinters of wood from her flesh. "My grandmother is the only one who would ever speak much of this world to me, and then only when her mind had wandered in her old age".
"When I first insisted that she call me Kay instead of my full name, she grew angry and told me that I had been named after two ancestors who had chosen to show much kindness to my mother. Graandmother also told me that these ancestors had lived and loved among forests and mountains, and that their spirits would take offense if I was ever ashamed of bearing their names".
Kay paused to catch her breath, then sighed "But nobody on Terra had a name like that, and many of them mocked it as being odd. I just wanted to fit in and be accepted by my classmates. So I became a Kay instead of a ...". Her voice trailed off. Should she share THAT name or not ?
"If you are from Darkover, and the hills, then you most likely have many kin you have ever known. And if you wish to find them...well, names are a start." Gwenn paused, uncertain how much to explain.
A deep sigh reached Gwenn's ears. The only surname Kay knew, was the one she herself carried. What sort of people might these unknown relatives be, that their own blood-kin would forsake them so completely ? She didn't even know what they had fought over. Hopefully it wasn't HER -- otherwise she might as well paint a target on her cloak.
He decided not to mention blood-feuds and how that might affect her search just yet, and instead addressed her last comment. "As for your name, aye, I know how it feels to be mocked."
Kay looked at him in puzzlement. What was wrong with being named Gwenn ? Was it perhaps the meaning of the name that he objected to ? "But Gwenn is a fine name back home, and often used for BOTH lads and lassies", interrupted Kay, hoping she wasn't being rude, but unable to hold her tongue any longer, "it means simply attractive and fair-haired. So I would say that it fits you well. "
" I am emmasca, an' many lads & lassies would call me 'Gwennis,' which made me even madder as it's my ma's name. 'Course, I couldn't get back at the lassies, but the laddies often paid." Gwenn told her, then took a drink of his water. Another thought occurred to him. "Ye had nae e'en a cousin?" he asked incredulously.
"Nay", came the same reply, "but I had classmates enough to sometimes mock my name even after it was shortened it to Kay. Before I grew tall, they sometimes call me Katydid, which is a small Terran insect whose best defense is self-concealment and flight. But Kay is a commonly-used short form of many male and female names. This helped me avoid notice far better than a very feminine unusual name like --".
At this point, Margali approached the table, carrying the bread, cheese, fruit, stew, and drinks above the heads of the other patrons. Kay's voice abruptly chopped off. The name could wait a few minutes more.
"Here ye are mestra, mestru," Margali said as she placed the food on the table. "If ye need anything, just let me know, or grab Lerrys and send for me." She paused to make certain that there was nothing else that was needed, and left.
Leaning forward, Kay whispered softly "Kasilda-Callisu". She straightened up, added "I was named after two women beloved by my mother. One was blood-kin to her, the other was my father's mother". She blushed again. The last time THAT name had been spoken (several years ago), it had been her grandmother who had spoken it.
Gwenn had been taking a spoonful of the stew as Kay conspiratorily whispered her name; he choked on the stew out in amazement. Wow ! Her name had never gotten THAT reaction from anyone before. Just puzzled looks, nasty-edged chuckles, and unfriendly inquiries about what kind of odd foreign name what that anyways. Kay blushed even more brightly.
When he could breath again, he said, "Cassilda is a strange name on the Terranan world? I've a little sister named Cassilda." He sighed. "We called her Cassie when she was a babe." That nickname sounded familiar to Kay, though she herself had chosen not to take it. "Cassie is a pretty name, Kay agreed, "Grandfather used to playfully call Grandmother that sometimes too. He would say that no matter how he shortened it, it would still mean kind-and-thoughtful".
"She's seven summers old this year. Almost old enou' to be betrothed", Gwenn continued. Kay looked up sharply, amazement written boldly across her face. "Betrothed BEFORE maturity ? With no choice as to take a husband or nae ? How can anyone know whether they will love one another once they are grown ?", she exclaimed, sounding both shocked and puzzled.
"Aye, she has a say," Gwenn was taken aback and looked puzzled. "But she is too young to make such a momentous decision for herself--t'will affect her for the rest o' her life. An' she has at least five years before the hand-fasting is completed to get to know Anndra, if his family and ma an' Rory finalize that decision, not t'mention the year-an'-a-day after consummation to decide if 'tis forever."
"That's different then. If there is a true choice, then I've no further objection. May the Bright Goddess bring them long lives, health and happiness.", replied Kay, "That arrangement sounds more like a suggestion rather than my fears about the breeding of people as if they were prized horses". Kay was greatly relieved to find that what little she had known (from her immediate family) was apparently the exception rather than the rule.
Gwenn frowned. "I dinna' want to mislead ye, mestra MacDonald," he said earnestly. "I know not if breeding horses is much different, but 'tis a lot like breeding rabbithorns, only there're nae wild ones to be had when the stock gets weak." Gwenn gave an short, embarrassed laugh as he pictured a hunting party going out to capture wild humans, then continued. "We must be careful to keep the lines frae getting too close or we'll have all manner of deformities an' worse." "'Tis one o' the reasons that arranging a marriage is sae important a matter -- too important to let children decide for themselves", he told her, "An' some fathers dinnae care about the children's feelings in the matter, but most that I know do. I was only a little older than my sister Cassie is now, when I was betrothed to Fionna",Gwenn added. * Fiona ? So he's to be wed then ?*, Kay wondered to herself, *I hope his future wife isn't the type to be jealous of him being friends with other females; especially foreign ones*
Gwenn cocked his head to the side. "What's love got to do wi' marriage?", he asked, looking puzzled. Terranans sure had some odd ideas sometimes. Kay's face fell into an expression of deep sadness and utter confusion. "What's ... love ... got ... to ... do ... with ... marriage ?", she repeated blankly. Once again, just when she thought she was starting to figure out this culture, some new oddity popped up to confront her. "Is there truly no love between you and your Fiona ?", Kay pleaded, looking horrified. "Dark Goddess, have mercy !", she prayed, "I myself would sooner remain unmated all my life than be bound without love".
Gwenn became thoughtful. "Well...I like her well enou', I mean, she never really teased me like some o' th'others, an' she was pretty enou', an' kind to her siblings. An' I suppose she liked me well enou'; she seemed to look forward to the hand-fasting. An' I expect we'd hae grown to love one another o'er the years. But I wouldna' say that I _loved_ her, I mean, how would I know until I had been wi' her some years, an' weathered storms like my ma & da had?" Gwenn's thoughtful look turned sad and he looked down at his bowl, "But now I'll ne'er know. I hope that she finds someone else to marry who'll be good to her."
If only she dared to ask WHY he didn't consider love to be a neccessary thing in a marriage -- but that would surely be going way too far. *It would be as rude as if someone were to ask me why I've never taken a lover, or why I continue to choose to remain that way*, she told herself firmly.
Despite the look that her questions kept bringing to Gwenn's face, Kay continued, unable to stop herself. "I would not care for such a thing; not at all". My own grandmother ran from her family to avoid such a thing; ran with my grandfather Malcolm to his quarters at the Terran Base in Caer Donn. She once told me that's why they chose to support my parents in the quarrel that sent them ahead of us to Terra".
"'Twould narrow the search some if she lived near Caer Donn. 'Twould put your granddam in the Alderan domains, most like," Gwenn said thoughtfully. "Might be best to look for her relatives, instead, if ye know her maiden name."
"Aye. It would be an easier search if I had a surname to seek", came the answer, "But there is so much that none would tell me. All I have is that she was named Callisu and that she married my grandfather Malcolm MacDonald who was purely a son of Terra. She was always careful to strip the names from whatever stories she told me."
"One of them was about a cold and fearful night spent awake in a tree as they ran north through the hills towards the Terran Base. Had there been a second night, she would have mentioned it, so their journey could have taken no more than perhaps two days travel on foot. And all their possessions would have been concealed on their persons. But I know not whether they came there from the east (Ardais lands) or the west (Alton lands)".
"That would narrow it down some", Gwenn pronounced, "If they were ahorse, they could've come from just outside the Alderan Domain an' the search would take longer, but if they were afoot, well, ye only need search wi'in two days o' Caer Donn."
He looked at Kay again, as another thought occurred to him. "Callisu isn't common on MonFiern, though 'tis enou' like Callista to be a variation."
A thoughtful look crossed Kay's face. Words came idly drifting out of her mouth almost absent-mindedly, in a voice so soft as to be almost inaudible. "If any of my relatives turn out to be anything like you, then I shall feel blessed indeed". Then it occurred to her that she'd just voiced that thought aloud, and she wondered if Gwenn had heard it.
Gwenn's only response to Kay's statement was a light blush; he pretended not to hear it. Instead, he said, "If ye can find a place in the hills where Callisu is common, ye may be close t' findin' yer kin", he exclaimed, "An there're MacDonals most anyplace--Donal is a common name, too. 'Tis close to Conal, m' da's name".
Kay grinned back. "Conal is as good a name as Donal ... back home, in the ancient language of our island, they both signify a man of great strength. Ah ... it would indeed be lovely to find kin of my father's father".
"There are many MacDonalds on Terra as well, though I dared not seek them out -- news of my tracing to trace the branches of my family tree might too easily have found its way back to my home. And things are different there. Unless the bloodlines can be proved to trace back to a common ancestor, the shared name is considered simply a coincidence rather than kinship".
She chuckled at the whims of Terran bureaucracy. It seemed odd even to her that two individuals could bear the same surname and yet be officially considered to be unrelated.
"But 'tis the clan-name & sept-name that shows kinship," Gwenn protested. "Th'other only shows immediate family, unless ye have a traditions such as m'da & alternate names 'twixt father an' son, or gi' the same name to the son as the father...."
"Please", came Kay's pleading reply, "if you would help me, I ask that we be not be overly-hasty in this". Maybe that wasn't explanation enough. How could she explain that she was both eager and hesitant to find these unknown relatives ?
Kay tried again. "What I mean to say is that I know not what manner of people they might be, or what quarrel lies between the branches of our tree. And I've no wish to end up like a rabbithorn caught by a snare. I would prefer to know of them before they know of me. But if that cannot be, then let us simply show caution".
Gwenn hesitated, confused by what he saw as being contradictory attitudes possessed by Kay, then decided to make the plunge. "I-if ye w-wish, I could...seein' as ye ha' nae known kin...I might could act as k-kin for ye." He rushed on before Kay could say yea or nay, "But before ye answer, know that there are obligations that go both ways. Hill-kinship is nae a thing to be entered lightly into. It binds both families, unless special conditions are specified at the outset, an' blood-feuds ha' been know to start o'er such a thing".
A look of surprise crossed Kay's face, but she didn't say anything -- just stared wide-eyed in wonder at him with those large green-brown eyes.
Feeling somewhat encouraged, Gwenn went on. "I'm nae so good wi' a sword yet, but at least, if ye did, ye'd ha' someone to demand justice for ye, if someone insulted or dishonored ye. An' if ye found your family, an' they wished to force ye into something again' your will, ye could call on me, an' I'd be honor-bound to fight on your behalf. Also, ye'd be honor-bound to do as I say, within reason, as I'd be actin' as protector, until such time as ye found someone wi' as close a tie. An' it doesna mean ye cannae make your own decisions, but it would bind me to any consequences of those decisions. Ye'd be obliged somewhat to take that into consideration, because I'd be actin' as protector. An' I'd be obliged to take my obligations to you into consideration before I make any decisions."
Gwenn slowed down again, "But I cannae assist in a search just yet, because of my obligations in the Thendaran Guard." Gwenn's blush deepened and he became thoughtful, "If the Damisela Leynier an' I claim kinship, though, I could include ye in the claim, or not, as ye wish--e'en so, if I called upon her to do so, she'd be honor-bound to assist ye in your search....But dinnae sell the pelt before the rabbitthorn is grown, 'tis nae agreed upon yet."
There was a long silence, while Kay continued to stare wordlessly at Gwenn, her mouth now hanging open in utter amazement. She was too overwhelmed to find words to express the chaotic jumble of feelings that surged over her. A brother of her own. And one she had felt drawn to want to know better. Kay had been hoping for a friend. Now she'd been offered so much more, and didn't know what to say.
"... blessed be ... you ... I ... Bright Goddess ... ", she exclaimed, wide-eyed with wonder. Her mind needed time to properly digest this. *Get a grip, you silly old donkey. You HAVE to say SOMETHING*, Kay abruptly told herself, noticing the anxious look on Gwenn's face as he waited for her to speak.
"Gwenn", she said softly, savouring the sound of his name, and trying to calm her mind enough to reply more intelligibly, "all of this ... so much more ... I never expected ... never even hoped ...". That was better; almost a full sentence.
Kay went on, "I am so ... honoured that I don't know what to say. In a matter of such ... great weight ... I do not wish to mis-speak myself ... in ignorance or in haste ... and so I would ask of you that we speak of this again in a day or two ... after I have taken time to think upon it, to look into my heart and to pray to my Goddess for guidance".
Hopefully he'd understand. Just to be certain, she then added "For now ... I can say ... that I ... treasure your friendship .. and I know of no other who I would be prouder to be able to call my brother".
Kay's hunches about people were so often right that she'd come to rely on them. Even though she'd known him less than a day, she had no doubts that he was a good man and had the potential to become a close friend. Yet her years of cautious wariness were a difficult habit to break. If she decided to go ahead, then it must be done whole-heartedly; family was forever.
Gwenn smiled. "I knew I had judged ye aright." He softly slapped the table. "'Twould be worrisome if ye rushed into a decision like this wi'out consideration. Think upon it, then an' we'll talk more when I next see you. That'll likely be nae sooner than three days frae now."
With a contented sigh of pleasure, Kay pushed her now- empty dishes to the middle of the table. "This was a wonderful treat. We should do this again", she exclaimed happily, then quickly added, "If you are willing, of course ... I don't mean to presume upon such a short acquaintance".
Not completely sure of what the answer might be, she then busied herself with counting out coins to pay for her meal, before rising to help lift the packages off the floor. She hadn't forgotten about Gwenn's letter and it was getting late. Hopefully Master Ceroill Merrick would still be in his shop.
Gwenn frowned at his dwindling supply of cash. "I dinnae think I can afford such lavish treats much. I'm supposed to be sendin' coin home, not spendin' what little we ha'." He pulled out a royal and sighed, "If I only had kin here, we could eat there....But when I ha' nae obligations, I'd be free to escort ye anywhere in the city. Except for the next two days, I'm free after shift-change, an' I'll ha' a whole day free in four days. I was planning to look for some tartan then."
The change of subject was a relief. Here was something simple enough that she could answer definitively. And it was a mundane enough topic that perhaps (if she were fortunate) her blush might diminish. "If THAT's the only problem", Kay interrupted boldly, "then let us visit a cookstall next time. We'll eat in the open air".
"Aye, if 'twill nae be too cold for ye," Gwenn agreed.
"Food at the Base is barely of adequate quality to feed a dog, or I'd invite ye there", Kay continued, "As my grandmother used to say, 'tis far better to sup casually among friends than to sit a lavish banquet among those who care not for ye". The words felt odd rolling off her tongue, but strangely comforting. The more often she spoke caheunga, the more natural it seemed to feel, and the more she tended to fall into the speech patterns of her grandmother.
She grinned mischievously at him. "Nay, put away your coin", came Kay's insistence, "I am letting ye carry the packages, so ye will allow mine own dignity THIS much at least". Her stubbornly-independant Terran streak couldn't be repressed for long.
"Well...." Gwenn took one look at Kay's face and realized this was a battle he wasn't going to win. "I'll consider it apt payment for the role of chervine." He grinned in return. She grinned back, and they set off towards the scribe's shop.