Anwyn just looked around curiously, saying nothing while studying everything she could.
Business had been slow the past few days, so Tomas had finished his commissioned paintings and been working on a mural on the wall. He had just finished a rather vicious-looking set of horns on a rabbithorn when he heard Kay's voice. He poked his head out of the corner he'd been working in and smiled. "I do believe my left horn's crooked, you know," he said, rubbing his aristocratic nose with his hand and getting a long smear of brown paint on it (which just matched the few splashes in his red hair.
Kay grinned, and felt the urge to giggle. Instead she just grinned widely, then bowed, saying "You are a joy and a delight, Master Tomas, as always". Then she handed him a clean handkerchief with which to wipe off the paint.
"Thank you," Tomas said with a warm smile, and he carefully wiped his hands with the handkerchief before looking down at the mess he'd made of it. "Oh, dear, I can have Melora clean this for you if you like."
Kay giggled, then answered "Never mind, I have plenty of them ... and it seems to me like you could use an extra hankerchief or two --- you've still got a spot of paint on your nose (just like my grandad often did when he worked on his model ships)".
"Ah, thank you," Tomas said, wiping at his nose. "Melora says she cannot hem enough handkerchiefs to keep me supplied. Welcome back, Mestra MacDonald". He smiled at her and her young companion, adding "I suppose ye've come to pick up your grams?"
"Indeed I have ... my walls are empty without Great-Gran to smile down on me", she answered, "And I also thought my new apprentice might enjoy meeting you as well". Kay then turned to Anwyn. "Anwyn, this is Master Tomas Painter -- he's a magnificent artist, a good man and an excellent keeper of secrets. Master Tomas, this is Anwyn MacCarron; and a fine and spunky lass she is indeed".
Anwyn smiled shyly at the man Kay called `Master Tomas' and bowed low, blushing at Kay's words. "'Tis a pleasure to meet you, Master Tomas."
"Why, hello, Mestra MacCarron," Tomas said, bowing in
her direction. He was unsure if she was Darkovan or
Terran with a name like that, but he didn't feel
comfortable asking bluntly. He decided not to make
the possible silly mistake of trying to shake hands
with another Darkovan
"Thank you, Sir," Anwyn replied shyly, bowing again. She wandered
over to the paintings, her hands behind her back to curb the
temptation to touch things, and studied each of them carefully � all
the while keeping a watch on Kay and Master Tomas. She had gotten a
good look at Kay's paintings as well, marveling at the similarities
between the paintings and Kay � as well as a few similarities between
the paintings and some of Anwyn's more distant relations.
She gave a mental shrug as she finally sat down in one of the chairs. The Scots
and the Irish, contrary opinion even in these more modern times,
tended to *cough* restrict themselves to the Scots and the Irish.
Giving in to a VERY soft giggle, she started to go over in her mind
all that Kay had spoken to her about
Noticing Anwyn's obvious curiousity, Kay grinned.
Evidently, _something_ was amusing the younger girl,
who had looked very closely indeed at the small
paintings. And had that been a glimpse of recognition
in Anwyn's eyes ? Did she maybe know (or know of) some
of these people ? If the two of them turned out to be
cousins, that might explain the protective-mother
urges that Kay felt every time she looked at Anwyn.
Tomas turned from the ladies a moment to retrieve Kay's
paintings. "Here you go," he said, setting them up on
nearby easels for her to look at.
"They're lovely ... absolutely lovely ... it's the
next best thing to having my family right HERE with
me", came the amazed reply. There was Mum and Da in
their younger years, with Kay herself as a wee babe.
And there was Gran Callisu and Grandad Malcolm before
they'd gone old and grey with age. And Great-Grandmum
Cassilda and Great-Grandmum Callista --- exactly as
they must have looked. It was almost too perfect for
words. So instead of commenting any further on it, Kay
simply fished out a small pile of coins and joyfully
presented them with her thanks.
"Ah, thank you," Tomas insisted, pocketing the coins.
He would never insult Kay by counting them in front
of her. "It was a pleasure to work with them.
Although Callista wouldn't hold still in my head," he smiled.
"That happens sometimes... Images can be like young
children, always moving around."
Anwyn listened curiously to Master Tomas as he talked,
about this `Callista' not holding still in his head.
`Huh! Sounds like Great-Gramps and his paintings and
him complaining as how sometimes he'd have �one- idea
and the �canvas- would have �another-!'
"The paintings are all dried, and I have heavy paper to wrap them in if you'd like", he added, "Or if you've more shopping to do, I can have them
delivered to base, although they don't allow our couriers in, I'm afraid."
Kay sighed. "Ah .. 'tis a paranoid bunch at the gates
indeed ... some of them are stubborner than Durraman's
donkey, and ha' no more manners (or sense) than a
billygoat in full springtime rut". She shook her head
in amazement, remembering the bit of fuss there had
been at the gate that first day when Gwenn had come to
visit her. "But don't get me started on any of _THOSE_
stories, or we'll be here all day", she added, with a
wry grin and a giggle.
With a grin at Anwyn, Kay suggested "Hey, Anwyn ...
These aren't very large paintings. Do you think that
you could perhaps carry one or two, while I carried
the rest of them?"
Anwyn looked at the paintings for a moment, then took
down her hair, parted it so that her neck would still
be covered, and began to braid her hair in such a
manner so that there was a raised cushion of hair on
top. Then she grinned up at Kay.
"With this, I can balance all four, Kay. What do you
think?"
The reply came at first as a bunch of silly giggles.
Then, when Kay manged to catch her breath, she
suggested "Let's NOT take a chance on that. I'd hate
to see anything fall to the ground the first time
someone bumps into you".
Anwyn gives Kay a hurt look. "I'd have my hand on them at all
times, Kay. As if I'd let anyone get that close to me
anyway." Anwyn sniffed like an old Granny.
When Kay spoke to Anwyn, Tomas's eyes discreetly
followed. There was something about the younger
girl, but he couldn't put his finger on it... He picked
up a sketchbook and began to sketch the two without
really looking at what he was drawing.
Anwyn absently watched Master Tomas from the corner
of her eye while she spoke with Kay and braided up
her hair. `Just like Great-Gramps. Always a pencil
in hand and always sketching something', she thought
to herself.
Kay grinned back at her, "Unless I'm mistaken, you and
your Gramps might have more in common with Master
Tomas and I than you originally thought".
Anwyn just blinked, as she hadn't said that out loud, only
�thought- it.
Kay blushed bright red. *Oops*, she thought to
herself, *I must have guessed better than I'd
thought*. Earlier, when she'd been looking up the
MacCarrons in the data banks, it had occurred to her
that Anwyn's father seemed to have attracted a higher
than average amount of luck during his Service career.
And the feelings she'd just unintentionally read from
Anwyn had further supported that idea. Fey talents
were hereditary afterall. But she decided NOT to
explain -- at least not right now.
Kay then added over her shoulder, "You might even agree that
it's a _gift_ , Master Tomas", being very precise in
giving a quick flicker of her barriers to further
emphasize the word 'gift'.
Again Anwyn blinks. First Kay tells her to be cautious, and now
she's blurting stuff out. What's going �on- here?
But the only answer she got, was a wink and a
reasurring smile that promised explanations later.
Apparently, Kay _DID_ know exactly what she'd just
done, and had done it deliberately. So obviously this
social 'game' had many more subtle layers than it
appeared
Tomas glanced up, startled, as he felt Kay use laran. She had never
done so in her previous visits, he was sure. He recognized the
openness of momentarily lowered barriers and wondered briefly how Kay
managed to grow into such a normal adult in a non-telepathic
society. Then he realized she must have remained barriered, of
course.
He knew a good deal of the conversation was
supposed to be going over his head, but he had a
pretty good idea of what was going on. As a simple
painter, he was good at pretending he didn't hear
others' surface level thoughts, and Kay had better
barriers than many Darkovans he had met. Still, if
she was trying to make him aware he was in the
presence of two, not one, telepaths, or potential
telepaths, he acknowledged, unsure of Anwyn's
abilities...
"There is of course always the debate over whether such gifts be
gifts indeed or curses," Tomas replied mildly with a look at
Kay. "I suppose that depends on whether one's society accepts them,
among other things."
She thought over possible replies for a moment, then decided to continue on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happenned. It was enough to know that he'd understood the message she'd not wanted to say aloud (afterall, walls were often thin in many parts of Thendara). So it was now the case that, if Anwyn ever needed off-base help (or advice), then here would be a good place to come. It was certainly safer than going seeking Melissa at Ridenow House.
"I've also heard it said that artistic inspiration is a call which cannot be denied", Kay commented, not-so-subtly indicating that she didn't care to discuss fey matters at the present time, "Even from such a bare outline, I can tell that it will be a lovely sketch indeed".
"I just hope your young friend takes no offense," Tomas chuckled as
he added a few hasty lines and passed the sketch to Anwyn and Kay.
It showed the girl with her hair in an elaborately braided flat
style, serving as the platform for a pile of parcels higher than the
girl herself. At the top of the pile perched a tom-cat, along for
the ride with a smug look.
"It's no problem, right Anwyn ?", Kay commented almost
too casually, "afterall, Master Tomas here is a good
friend of mine, and would never cause you any
trouble. And he also likes it when pretty young women come to watch him paint". She hoped that Anwyn understood the hint, and silently
reminded herself to better explain things to the
younger girl once they'd left the shop.
Anwyn gave Kay a thoughtful look, then shrugged. Putting aside her questions for now, she looked at the sketch, then giggled softly and said shyly. "Nah, nah, Master Tomas. I'd not balance �that- tall a load! Still, that cat looks �awfully- smug, doesn't he?". Anwyn continued to study the sketch, giggling softly.
Kay giggled. "ALL cats look smug some of the time",
she insisted. Then a look of wistful sadness crossed
her face as she added "I ha' a wee moggie meself once
... she was a lovely lass indeed, and cute as the wee
tom in this picture ... ".
Anwyn sighed wistfully. "I've never had a kitten, or ANY kind of a pet
for that matter. It wouldn't have been fair to the pet, you see, to
have a place and be loved, and then have to be left behind and
bewildered at the change and all when I would have to leave."
"He reminds me of many a lad in my youth," Tomas
chuckled. "Unfortunately, I think, Darkovan lads are
encouraged to behave like tomcats, though that seems
to have been changing in recent times." Tomas's voice
made it clear he didn't consider this such a bad thing.
Anwyn just rolled her eyes at Master Tomas' comment, then blushed
pinkly as she remembered some rather confusing glances she'd started
to receive recently from the male population of wherever she happened
to be with her parents
A wry laugh bubbled up from Kay. "I've seen little enough evidence of any such thing", she said skeptically, "the way I see it, things here are like on Terra. The lads (especially the single ones) are ALL basically tomcats at heart -- with wide, hungry eyes that watch a lass as if she's dinner waiting to be eaten". Then she shook her head, adding "But don't get me started on THAT. Otherwise I'll be all day complaining. And then Anwyn and I will never get around to finding her a decent amount of proper clothing".
"So a good day to you then, my friend, and we shall see you again another time", Kay finished, making another bow in farewell. Picking up half of her pictures, Kay turned to Anwyn. "Shall we be off then ? I was thinking that we could go either to the MacDoevids if you want fancy clothes. Otherwise, our best bit is likely MacBrides General Store, or one of the clothing stalls in the market, for everyday clothes. Any preference ? "
"Probably the market for everyday clothing, Kay. I'm a Service Brat.
What would -I- do with fancy stuff." Anwyn spared a wistful mental
sigh, though, at the thought of 'fancy stuff' and all.
With a small chuckle, Kay answered "All right then ...
the market it is".