"Goddess ha' mercy ... damned fools like me ... why'd I ever agree to this ... out of my mind ... promised I'd go .... worry all night 'bout him otherwise ... gonna end up in a big steaming pile of reish ... most of 'em are crazy or dangerous -- or both ... nobody in this whole Zandru-bedamned complex that I can actually TALK to --- ", she grumbled to herself, not realizing she was saying it all out loud.
Her voice cut off abruptly, as she turned a corner and suddenly realized that she was no longer alone. A tall thin young man stood there, regarding her curiously despite seeming ready to collapse from exhaustion. He was one of the doctors in the base hospital, though she didn't recall his name. And now he'd just heard her talking to herself -- and (even worse) cussing too. Oops !
Blushing bright-red, Kay babbled, "Excuse me ... a bad habit of mine ... talking to myself ... not crazy, just nervous ... pardon my rude language ... meant no offense ... looks like you've had an even rougher time of it lately than I have ... ".
The stranger looked at her, seeming a bit confused himself. "Oh, I'm sorry miss! I wasn't paying attention on you. I'm very tired and was just staring away. I'm sorry if I gave you the impression I was intruding."
He frowned, than gave her a weak smile. "Do we know each other? There are so many people around, but we might have already met. I am Louis Couvillon. I'm obstetrician and pediatrician." He offered her his hand.
A few nervous giggles bubbled out. Here she was trying to apologize to HIM, and he'd just apologized to HER. One small leather-gloved hand poked out from underneath a man's wool tunic that was obviously far too large for such a slender woman. A tiny bit of torn silk lining peeked out from one side of the cuff, and a small bit of exposed skin from the other. "Kay MacDonald, and I'm pleased to met you, Doctor", she began, unsure as to the proper way of adressing him. Her grip was surprisingly-firm for a woman.
Unable to resist the temptation, she lowered her barriers just barely enough to take a danger reading. The feather-light touch was as quick as the blink of an eye. Just enough to tell her that he was a good man.
Louis felt something in the back of his mind. He blinked in surprise, frowning right after. *It must have been just my imagination...*, he decided, discarding it, as he was used to doing.
Kay wished that she had dared look for longer (and more closely too). There was something odd about this man Louis. It was a hint of something she couldn't name, something that vaguely reminded her of mestra Hannah in the dress shop and of mestru Painter in the art shop. But if she paused too long in thinking about this, he might find her silence even more odd than his expression had just indicated. Had she paused too long without speaking ? Had she shaken hands too firmly ? Or was it something else entirely ?
"You're a friendly-looking sort of chap", she continued, "so no harm, no foul. You startled me a bit, but I suppose it's just as well. Pacing around certainly wasn't getting me anywhere ...", her voice trailed off. He smiled despite himself. "Well, that's certainly an unusual praise. You need help?"
Kay answered with a deep sigh of frustration. "Me ? Need help ? That's certainly an understatement. At THIS point, I don't even know where to START, and 'tis likely less than a hour before my brother shows up to collect me. Every time I THINK I've figured out local customs, I go ahead and unknowingly do something to embarass myself. It seems like the harder I try to behave properly, the worse the mess I end up in".
She shrugged, then added "... and why I'm telling all this to a stranger, I don't even know anymore. But it's certainly an improvement over talking to myself or to my Goddess -- neither of THOSE have gotten me any answers this afternoon".
He frowned, trying to follow her words. "I...I...I'm sorry...I don't think I understood..." .
"To be perfectly honest, neither do I", agreed the young woman, giving him a wry grin, "that's part of the problem ... but it's a rather long story ... and it wouldn't be polite of me to keep you if you're due somewhere else". Her voice held a note of hope, as if she'd like to ask him to stay, but felt it improper to ask such a thing of someone she'd just met.
He grinned. "I was just going to get some sleep, but I won't be able to if I'm worried about someone...And now I _am_ worried about you...
Regarding him thoughtfully for a moment, she answered softly, "You're unusual indeed; to care about the feelings of a stranger. My gran-da was like that too. Most base-folks are NOT like that -- at least none that I've met. I'm sorry to be keeping you from your bed, but right now I'm glad of a sympathetic ear from someone who won't gossip. Perhaps 'tis the hand of my goddess that guided you here".
He shrugged. "Who knows? Thousand of years ago a Terranan poet said that we're all pieces of a chess game that God plays...or goddess... Tell, what exactly is the problem? Can I help you in some way? You said 'local customs'...You're interested in the culture of this planet as well?", he replied.
Kay sighed again, then looked him straight in the face before replying very bluntly "My father grew up at the base in Caer Donn, so I can't help being curious. I haven't even been on-planet for a full two tendays yet. Yet, so far, I've accidentally battered a member of the local police force by running into him while carrrying a pile of packages, been propositioned after being mistaken for a whore several times, gotten into a scuffle with a streetkid, and found myself lost in the city more times than I care to count. _I_ would say that makes me somewhat of a walking disaster area, don't _you_ ?".
He chuckled. "And I'd have to agree." Such a bluntly-honest answer could only get one of two reactions: either humour or anger. "Seen from a perspective like yours, it WAS indeed more farce than tragedy, though NONE of of it was funny of the time", Kay giggled. So far, she'd managed to escape mostly-unscathed by each bit of trouble. Now if only such fools' luck would continue.
"So, you're from Darkover?", Louis used the local name of the planet. "That's a story I'd love to hear someday...But is there _something_ I could do for you?"
Kay shook her head. "I'm actually a Terran lass ... not much to my life-story ... I grew up on the isle of Skye, went to university, joined the civil service", came an almost-too-casual quick reply. Kay shrugged, as if to suggest that she doubted any of it would be of more than just passing polite-interest to him. "As for what you can do, perhaps some advice ?", she added, changing the subject.
A wry chuckle slipped out, and was followed by another. "What's twisting my tail, is that I'm to go off with my brother to visit a sister I've never met. She's offered to help me get formally-dressed-up, so that I'll at least _look_ like a proper lady. We're all going off to some fancy party tonight."
Kay sighed again, before continuing "It's too bad that it'll be mostly full of the sort of people I've been trying my best to AVOID since I got here. And even if I put on my most formally-conservative manners, what if I accidentally offend some noble -- by something I do, or don't do ? I don't know whether I'd be better off trying to learn more about diplomacy or about combat ...".
"If my brother hadn't asked me to go, I'd be enjoying a quiet evening tonight instead", Kay complained. "My folks always told me them Castle-folk were almost as dangerous as the ones in the Towers, and I've no reason to doubt it", she stated firmly, "I don't believe even HALF the stories I've heard -- but it's still even to make me cautious".
"Towers? Oh...I'm very curious about these places..." Louis commented. Kay stared at him as if he'd just grown a second head. "But curiousity leads to trouble ... If it was starship engines that sparked your curiousity instead, would you stand on the runaway while a ship was taking off ?", she inquired, giving him a very prim-old-dowager frown of disapproval before adding "it seems equally dangerous to me". He seemed to consider the matter for some seconds. "Hum...no...I'd learn how to fly it and all its details, so that I could control it in case of danger..."
Kay's frown cracked into a wry grin. "That's a rather interesting sort of philosophy ... especially if you ALWAYS pursue everything that interests you ...", Kay commented thoughtfully. Her green-brown eyes sparkled with sudden mischief. "How then would YOU behave around a bunch of nobles ? Is there some rule-of-thumb to figuring out which ones are important enough to get me kicked off-planet (or worse) if I offend them, and which ones are just a bunch of arrogant windbags ? And do you think I'd find it more helpful to go read the guide to local formal manners again , or go to the gym and practice my unarmed combat exercises ?". Neither course of action sounded at all appealing -- these fell into the category of things that were done only when absolutely neccessary. Absentmindedly, she began tugging at her braid again.
Kay blushed again "I'm over-reacting, aren't I ? Perhaps you're right and some hot chamomile tea would do me some good". She glanced briefly at her watch, then added shyly "Would you care to join me for a quick cup ? I always feel awkward occupying a table by myself."
Louis smiled. "I'd love to, if you're sure it won't make you late." They settled themselves down at a quiet table in the cafeteria. Kay wrapped her hands around her warm mug, decided it was too hot to drink yet, and decided to study this doctor fellow a little more closely. There was something *different* about him, though she couldn't quite pin down what it was.
To cover the fact that she was perhaps looking a little too closely at him, Kay started saying some of the things that came to the tip of her tongue. "I'm sorry to be keeping you away from your bed. Do you often show so much kindness to strange young women ?".
"Just when they're very beautiful.", he teased. Kay laughed softly, realizing he wasn't serious. "As my gran would say, if ye think me a great beauty, then yer e'en more tired than ye look, laddie", she replied, perfectly mimicking her gran's accent from memory. She grinned back "And if you flatter all the women like this, I'm surprised you don't have a whole flock of them constantly chasing after you like silly sheep". A giggle slipped out, then another.
She paused, then took a cautious sip of her tea before continuing. "I don't why my nerves are feeling so raw this evening. Normally I'm much calmer. But I've never met any real nobles before -- I've only heard stories. And some of them would surely curdle your blood to hear them. I doubt they're all true. Yet I wish I knew how to separate the fact from the fiction. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been better off NOT digging around for relatives I've never known. But then I'd still be lonely, so it's hard to know which way I'm worse off. But as my gran often said, what's done is done ..and all the smiths in Zandru's forge canna put the eggs back together after it's been cracked".
"You're nervous and that's perfectly normal...In your shoes, I'd be much worse by now...But I think you made the right choice, if you want to know my opinion...Are you better now, with the tea?"
"Aye .. somewhat", came the answer. "You've got a calming presence. I'd guess this makes you rather popular in the hospital".
"Oh, sure! I have a lot of pretty ladies running after me whenever I go. They love me! I believe the older one must be around...12.", he smiled.
THAT wasn't what at all what Kay had expected to hear. But it was oddly comforting in a way. A warm smile spread across her face. "They have good taste then ... there are certainly few enough lads so gentlemanly around here". She sighed, then added "Once they go off- duty, it seems to me like too many of them leave their manners behind. But you ... you're different ... ".
There was something to that difference that nagged at the back of her mind and enticed her curiousity to take just a litle bit more of a peek. Louis reminded her of someone. But was it more physical appearance or the "flavour" of his presence ? She wasn't sure. Absentmindedly, Kay leaned a wee bit forward to study him more closely, then caught herself as she felt her shielding thin. Starting to blush again, she looked down in embarassment.
The forgotten mug caught her eye. It was empty. "Oh", she said looking down at it with a rather puzzled look on her face, "I must have finished this without noticing. How silly of me". A sudden idea popped into her head, along with the reminder that Gwenn would arrive anytime soon. "It's too bad that I need to hurry off, but ... if you don't mind ... perhaps could we ... maybe ... do this again ?". She looked hopefully back up at him. It had been so nice to find someone on the Base who didn't treat her like either an enticing cut of meat to be lusted after, or just another anonymous cog in the great machine that was the civil service bureaucracy.
"Sure.", he smiled. "I'd love to listen to your lovely tale...but I don't want to make you late." He got to his feet and offered her his hand. "Shall we?"
Since she still had the empty cup in one hand, Kay took the offered hand firmly in her free one. Never mind that the silk of her gloves were wrinkled from having held the full mug -- right now, comfort was much more important than vanity.
"'Twas good to met you, Dr. Louis. I will look forward to turning you up again. You make for a pleasant companion. Perhaps then I might be able to amuse you later this week with tales of tonight's Ball", said Kay softly. There would surely be time later to figure him out. She released Louis' hand and bowed once in respect, before wishing him a good night's sleep and heading off down the hall towards her quarters.
Kay spotted a familiar back as she was walking back through the hallways towards her room. "Gwenn !", she called in a surprised (but pleased) tone, "You're earlier than I expected". He turned around in surprise. Had he missed the door? "Breda! Did I pass your door?" It turned out that he hadn't, so he followed Kay to her apartment and scrutinized the door's characters-and-numerals to memorize them.
She quickly palmed open the correct door, adding "Just a moment while I grab my clothes and jewellery box". He entered and stood while she dug quickly through her small closet. After a short wait, they were on their way again. As they passed through the gates, Kay pulled out the directions and started reading them aloud. Hopefully the Ridenow townhouse wouldn't be too difficult to find.
Kay surprised Gwenn by reading the directions out loud. However, he was thankful that she did; it helped reinforce the instructions he had been given by Dolo--not that he would've forgotten them! After a longer walk than he had expected (but shorter than he would've walked at home to get anywhere), they arrived at the Ridenow Townhouse. Gwenn rang the bells to let the inhabitants know that they had visitors.