Secret Password

Writers: Suzee, Yvonne
Date Posted: 28th June 2016

Characters: Jisalle, Loella, Neciada, Arlen
Description: A friendly game of cards
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 6, day 14 of Turn 8
Notes: Karhal, Zelanka (not by name)

Loella

After the evening meal was cooked and cleaned up after, Jisalle went
over to her sister Neciada's apartment and knocked on the door.

"What's the
secret password?"

Jisalle grinned and bent down to the keyhole. "The Harper's harping
goes astray, when dancing ladies wear lingerie!"

The door was swung open with a flourish and her sister looked her up
and down with a haughty look ."You may enter." She stepped aside and
ushered Jisalle in with a flourish.

"So gracious," Jisalle murmured. She held out her basket. "I have
brought us sustenance for our long night! Jam, bread, and sweets from
the kitchen. Don't tell the cooks I pilfered them."

"Ooo!" Neciada nearly tore the basket off Jisalle's arm in her
eagerness to peer inside. As promised, there was a small pot of sweet
yellow jam and a loaf of crusty bread wrapped in a bit of cloth. Even
better were the small squares of chewy toffee in a small tin beside
the jam. "Did you really steal this?!"

"Oh, Faranth no! Don't be silly. What sort of standard would that set
for the kids?" Jisalle shook her head as she took a seat at the table
and nodded to Arlen, who was the third of the four card players
expected tonight. "How's the baby?" she asked her.

Arlen sighed. "Well... he's fine, and not really a baby anymore. He's
eating all solid food now. But I'm not sure that my husband will be
fine after a whole evening alone with him."

Neciada laughed at that. "Like I said-- train him up! And the more
work your husband knows you do, the less likely he is to want eighteen
children!"

The other woman groaned. "Oh don't even say that-- my poor hips!"

There was a knock at the door, and Jisalle sprang up to answer it.
"Must be Loella-- shhh!" She scurried over to the door and bent to
speak through the keyhole. "What's the secret password?"

On the other side of the door Loella began to blush before she even
started to respond. "The Harper's harping goes astray, when dancing
ladies wear lingerie!"

She could only imagine where her husband's eyes would be in a case like
that. Men just couldn't help themselves.

The door was flung open and Jisalle greeted Loella with a huge grin.
"You made it! And more importantly, you remembered the password!"

"How could I forget it?" She shook her head and pushed passed her
friend into the room. Lifting the basket in her hands. "I come bearing
bubblies!"

"Ooo...." Jisalle's eyes lit up as she shepherded Loella into the
room. "I love bubblies. It's always such a treat to have one to myself
without anyone asking for a bite, which always turns into eating the
whole thing."

"I also have this," Loella dug into a hidden pocket and pulled out a
bottle of wine. While she wasn't close with the Vintner Hall, her
husband had done favors for them in the past and they were blessed
with a rather fine wine cellar.

"It's even in a proper bottle," Neciada eyed Loella's offering
appreciatively. Usually they had to tap their wine directly from a
cask under the Headwoman's watchful eye. It was so much easier to
manage drunkards when they had to stagger off carrying their own
pitchers. "Jisalle, you can invite Loella again."

"So glad I have your permission," Jisalle said dryly. "Loella, you
know my _dear_ sister."

Neciada waggled her fingers at Loella.

"I'm Arlen," Arlen said. "I'm not sure we've actually spoken before.
You're Captain Karhal's wife, aren't you?"

Loella lifted her chin with a smile at Neciada acknowledging her and
chuckling. She turned to Arlen with a nod. "Nice to meet you," she
said. "Yes and we have a little girl to keep him busy this evening.

"Ha!" Arlen grinned. "My husband is doing the same with my own child,
although I love the thought of our dear old Guard Captain minding a
babe even more!"

"Does the wine need to breathe?" Jisalle had snatched the wine from
Loella almost as soon as she'd presented it. "I'm not sure I can wait
that long..."

Neciada rolled her eyes. "You're so classy, sister dearest."

"At least I try to be." Jisalle shrugged and went to find a wine cork.
"Anyway. Welcome, Loella! And doubly because of the wine. I can't
remember- did you say you could play poker or not?"

"Yes a little breathing is good for the wine," she smiled. She'd
played with her husband on occasion but she didn't really know if that
was any kind of experience, so she shrugged. "A little."

"I have a cheat card you can use if you want it," Neciada said.

Arlen's smile was a little sly. "Oh, I'm sure she's fine. Come sit
down, Loella."

So Loella slid into the chair smiling at the others. "I don't think
I'll need it," she shook her head at Neciada.

Neciada nodded. "I am going to laugh so hard when she beats you," she
said to Arlen before turning back to Loella. "All right. If Jisalle
didn't explain the rules-- we play for babysitting."

"Sometimes other things!" Jisalle piped up from where she was
wrestling with the wine bottle.

"And sometimes other things." Neciada rapped her knuckle on the table
top. "This is very serious. You want to play, you put an evening's
_guaranteed_ child minding into the pot. Winner takes all - that's
three blissful child-free evenings. And if you try to back out...
let's just say that we have ways of making you pay."

"Mwa ha ha!" Jisalle faked a laugh from the back of the room. "But
seriously, we do. Not that I think you'd back out, Loella. You are
above reproach,"

"None of us do," Neciada said reassuringly. "But the rules have to be
clear. Do you agree and understand?"

"Oh well then," Loella smiled. "I'm going to enjoy those nights off."
She nodded and winked.

"So confident." Neciada reached for the cards. "Let's play!"

Last updated on the July 6th 2016

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Secret Password