Torgan Wine Ch. 20

"You eat them differently." Onsh broke one in half, and used the shell to scoop out the meat before dipping the half shell into the sauce and juice pooled on his plate and sucking it all out.

Gamely, she tried his way and nodded her approval before going back to hers.

"You went back to doing it your way." He gave her a look of consternation.

"If everyone did things the same way life would be boring." Isonei clicked the shell in her hand at him playfully.

"But my way is better." A small smile was starting to curve his lips.

"Have you tried my way?" She fluttered her lashes at him and the Daga laughed again and sighed.

"You are such an amusing creature, how can your Daga let you leave his home?"

"When you have Arissa and I under the same roof it's a terrible combination." Isonei feigned seriousness, "We tease the poor man mercilessly, even Daga Gildith said uhhmm," she tried to remember what he'd said in Lerian speaking slowly and carefully, "'You require her to return home often. You must truly enjoy the sound of laughter in your house, that it is directed at you does not seem to be a concern.'"

Onsh choked on a mussel he'd just sucked out of its shell.

"My way must be much better; I haven't choked on my food yet." Isonei's eyes widened at the glower she received.

"Forgive him, he is unaccustomed to being teased." The Daga gave him a cautioning look.

"I tease too much. I was scolded as a child." She gave Onsh an apologetic smile and saw his face soften.

"By your Daga?" He asked curiously.

"Never. He never chided. Not when I went out the window or not when I throw things at his son for being not so nice." Isonei grinned impishly and Daga Lothlaerith began to laugh.

"You threw things at Onsh-Liadith?" Onsh-Lothlaerith looked as though he were trying to decide if she was still teasing him.

"I still do when he is not so nice. His father used to chide for provoking me. But uhhmm now he is Daga he throws back."

The Daga laughed harder at her words, Onsh-Lothlaerith simply looked bemused. "You threw things and he was scolded?"

"He provokes!" She put on an expression of exaggerated offense, "I am a sweet girl! Ask my Daga!"

Onsh cracked a smile, and his father beamed resting his chin on his hand. "His father calls you a sweet girl and the young Daga calls you difficult?"

"Both call me sweet," she patted herself on the cheek with the back of her hand. "'Always such a sweet girl.' But uhhmm the young Daga says I am more sweet than sensible. And I am difficult."

"I agree with Liadith. You're as overly sweet as the wine he enjoys, and as difficult as Arissa." Onsh-Lothlaerith resumed eating with a glance at her surprised face.

She was almost certain he was trying to tease her and responded in kind, "If Onsh-Lothlaerith says I'm difficult it must be true. You are, after all, the authority on it, are you not?" Isonei smiled brightly at him when he stared at her flatly.

"I preferred clever nightingale."

"Being one doesn't mean you aren't the other."

His lips twisted as if he were trying to keep himself from smiling but his green eyes shimmered and burned entrancingly and she found herself unable to look away.

Daga Lothlaerith tapped the table, "Eat, both of you. I'm looking forward to the rest of the meal."

Isonei gave him a sheepish smile and turned her attention back to her mussels with an amused glance at Onsh. The next course was tartlets of squash and goat cheese, roasted rounds of aubergine with a delicious sauce of crushed herbs and sauteed tomatoes, and something she hadn't had before. Biting into the crispy breaded morsel she was delighted to find it was an artichoke heart. The Daga encouraged her to try the white sauce that was served in small cups with them. Tasting it with the garlicky sauce was a delight and the Daga beamed at her enjoyment.

With a wave of his hand the third wave of platters was brought, what looked like stuffed pouches of leaves were arrayed on one, for the Daga. The other held an enormous amount of stuffed mussels.

"These you have to eat my way." Onsh's eyes shimmered with amusement as she put on a mock pout.

°°°°°°°°°°

The meal had left her stuffed full and sleepy. Isonei had been glad to kiss the Daga on his cheek and be escorted back to her rooms by a man in the blood colored sash of Lothlaerith. Onsh-Lothlaerith remained behind to speak with his father.

The rooms were still slightly cool, but someone had put a warming pan in her bed already. She was helped into a warm nightdress and fell asleep almost immediately once she laid her head on the pillow.

The last two days hadn't allowed her to sleep deeply enough for disturbing dreams, but they woke her with a start tonight. So many angry faces, knives, and Ialath was chasing her. It was a jumble of terror and she felt sick as she rose from the bed in the dark, trying to find a lamp.

A warm bath perhaps... she carried the flickering light through the rooms surprised to find no private bath in them. Pulling on her cloak, Isonei decided to try her luck walking in the labyrinthine house instead. She thought she might be able to find her way back to the sitting room. Onsh had left his kanon out earlier, it might still be there. It would be nice to have a closer look at it.

There were no servants or sashed men that she could see as she wandered the corridors. Stumbling onto the dining room she sighed and covered her face. Wandering into the family rooms uninvited was incredibly rude. Isonei turned to try to find her way back.

Onsh-Lothlaerith stood glowering a few steps down the corridor.

"I was trying to find the sitting room. I didn't mean to wander into the family rooms. Please forgive my trespass." She spoke quietly, barely above a whisper.

"Why are you looking for the sitting room?"

"I had a bad dream and since there was no bath for me to draw and soak in, I thought the next best thing would be to look at your instrument. You left it-"

He huffed and shook his head. "The baths are kept below, in the city."

Isonei blinked at him. "You have to leave the house to bathe?"

"Yes." Onsh's face softened slightly. "I prefer to go at night if you'd like to come with me." Tentatively, he extended his hand.

The thought that it might be the last real soak she'd have for several months prompted her to reach for his hand despite the knowledge that Draeseth would chide her for it. It wasn't as if they would be in the same bathing pool, the men and women's baths were separate.

"I'll have to get dressed. I wasn't expecting to go anywhere." She extended one foot from beneath the hems of her cloak and night dress to wiggle her bare toes at him.

"Have you never heard of slippers, daughter of Liadith? You're going to freeze."

"I neglected to bring any with me and I had planned on sitting on the bench to look at your kanon with my feet tucked under me, Onsh-Lothlaerith." Isonei poked his side.

"Did you poke me little blossom?" He turned to her with a surprised smile.

"I might have." Isonei tried not to laugh as he looked her up and down incredulously.

"Little thorned blossom," Onsh resumed walking pulling her along back to her rooms. "There should be something in the closet for you to wear. I'll wait here while you change."

"Or you could wait in the main room, so you aren't standing in the corridor looking silly." She teased, stepping into her rooms without letting go of his hand.

"I could." He followed her in and let her hand slip out of his as she moved to the bedroom.

Isonei heard him clearing his throat uncomfortably as she opened the closet doors peering inside for a dress. She smiled wryly as she took out one of her Torgan style Lerian dresses, they must have kept her chest.

"You like to soak, what else do you enjoy?" It sounded as if he were close to the partly open door as he tried to make conversation.

"In Ara or at home with my Daga?"

"Both."

"I've always liked helping my father with his bees, and I love to dance. In Ara we have huge fields and orchards for our bees. When they're in bloom it's like perfume hanging in the air, father likes to hold parties and dances those times of year. He says it shows our House to its best advantage."

"And in Leria?" His question was almost hushed.

"I enjoy lounging in the gardens, or in the crypts, and talking."

"That's all?"

"There isn't much else to do. Why? What do you enjoy?"

"You live a life of leisure." Onsh sounded disappointed.

"I was born to a waxing House and I have an indulgent Daga." She fastened her overdress and slipped her feet into her shoes, finishing dressing hurriedly. Opening the door, he seemed surprised at her speed in dressing. "You don't have a great deal of leisure?"

"No." He frowned at the dress she was wearing.

"And you don't want to tell me what you enjoy or what you fill your days with?" Isonei teased him.

"I train; I take report and give orders to the men under my command. I'll be the Commander until I take up my father's mantle, and then I will take up his duties, some of which I have already assumed during his illness." His face defaulted to the cold displeased expression but it didn't seem quite as intimidating as it had before.

"A great deal of responsibility." She nodded slowly. "But I know that soldiers do enjoy themselves. They play cards, they dance, they-" His sharp look cut her off.

"And how would you know?" Onsh's eyes narrowed.

"One of the Festivals of Maeralya I danced and drank with one. Spending the night with him was..." She could feel her face flushing with the pleasure of the memory. "Very enjoyable."

The shades of green in his eyes flickered. "Come with me then. We'll bathe and I think some of the celebrations will still be ongoing. If you want to dance and drink with another soldier."

"Dancing and drinking will be all I can do," Isonei gave him a mischievous smile. "I'm exclusive with Draeseth until the next Festival of Maeralya."

As they slipped out of what seemed to be a servant's entrance into a guarded courtyard, he took two oiled cloaks offering her one to go over her warm Aran cloak. One of the sashed men came to Onsh immediately snapping his heels together. "Commander?"

"We're going to bathe. Afterward I need a clean uniform and, if someone has a sister who would lend Lady Isonei an appropriate dress, I want to take her drinking and dancing."

The man's eyes widened. "The daughter of Liadith? You-" He swallowed and snapped his heels together again. "As you will it, Commander."

"Come little blossom, I want to show you some of the city on our way."

"A lot of the city, if we're walking. It felt like a very long carriage ride."

"Our streets are carefully laid out to make certain that an army would need time to work their way through. But for our soldiers there are... other ways."

She let him lead her by the hand down narrow alleyways and stairs, the city seemed to be a labyrinth just as the house. Like in the house, in some places they had to go up in order to go down. Every house appeared to be of stone and he occasionally pointed out a stone fountain or small monument dedicated to the soldiers and Dagas who had helped the daughter of Lothlaerith rid Leria and her city of the Desecrators.

Sounds of revelry occasionally echoed through the streets and stone alleyways, but they grew louder as the pair approached the enormous stone building that housed the baths. The markets that surrounded the building were alive with music and the clamor of the crowds enjoying themselves undeterred by the light rain. Sleep could be had in the carriage tomorrow, the party seemed much more inviting than sleep.

As if feeling her excitement, Onsh pulled her along and by a small arched entrance to the large building he leaned close to speak, "You need to be dressed properly to enjoy the party. A Torgan dress is not appropriate."

Isonei grinned impishly up at him, "Go, go, I want to dance!"

"I'll need a drink before we dance." His lips twisted as he looked out at the crowd. "But first we should bathe."

"You need to drink to dance with me?" She gave him a look of exaggerated offense.

"I don't often dance. I need a drink to-"

"Find your courage?" Her feigned offense turned to wicked amusement. "I'm not that frightening Commander, I promise."

"You little thorned blossom..." As he teased back, his eyes seemed to hold green flames. "Come then, we'll wash the Torgan stink from you and make you fit to dance with."

Jabbing at him with her finger she had to laugh as his face cracked into a wolfish grin, "Horrible! Not so nice nightingale!"

"Not so nice nightingale; that may be better than clever." He pulled her through the door under the arch.