Consequences of Rumors

Writers: Avery, Miriah, Suzee
Date Posted: 27th April 2019

Characters: Jylanya, Enamra, Hatilda, Lesani, Tenmi
Description: Jylanya finds out what spurred the drudge fight Where; DCW-DH
Location: Dolphin Hall
Date: month 10, day 20 of Turn 9
Notes: Mentioned: Thayde

Occurs directly after "Rumors Spread Quickly"

Jylanya

Enamra

---

Jylanya was angry like she hadn't been in ages as she marched after
the girls she'd caught fighting. She grabbed one of them by the upper
arm and hauled her into her office. Then she slammed the door.

"Now," she spat. "Explain to me what I just saw."

Rubbing her cheek, Enamra hung her head, her face bright from both the
blow and embarrassment. She twisted her fingers together and gave
side-long glances at the other girls. "They were making fun of me,
Headwoman."

Hatilda's face was just as pink on one side but more from the blow.
Her eyes narrowed. "She shouldn't be here, Headwoman! She makes us all
look bad. Now she's bedding Master Thayde and she'll get with child
again and it'll be just as bad for all of us!""

Enamra shook her head wildly at the accusation. "But I'm not! And I'm
not what you call me!"

Hatilda turned to her with a hiss. "Yes you are! You've already had
one bastard! Why don't you just go to the Weyr where you belong!
They'd like you there and you could have all the bastards you wanted!"

"Shut it Hatilda," Jylanya snapped. "You're not one to talk!" She
turned back to Enamra. "So what _were_ you doing?" She held up a hand
to prevent the others from speaking.

"I was about to do the dishes, Headwoman." Enamra kept her head down
and shifted from foot to foot. "I didn't do anything with Master
Thayde, I swear. He was in my room last night for lessons, but I was
asleep." She heard a scoff from one of the other drudges and flushed
even deeper. "He said my dress had pulled up, and he was just pulling
it down. Then Hista came in and she got mad and left. That's all that
happened. I didn't do anything bad."

Jylanya nodded. "Hista told me what she thought she saw last night."
She looked at the other girls "Did any of you see it?"

Lesani said, "I saw Master Thayde walk by on his own and that was it."

Enamra glanced at Lesani and then back at Hatilda, who still sullenly
rubbed her cheek. She hadn't done anything with Master Thayde, but she
knew, deep in her gut, that the other girls would never believe it.
She slowly looked up at Jylanya, who had been so kind to her. Did she
believe it?

"So you just saw him walk by and jumped to the conclusion that he
slept with Enamra?" She placed her hands on her hips. "And do you
assume I sleep with the Hallmaster because I go visit his office or
you see him walk by?" Jylanya as seriously fed up with the bickering
of these drudges. Some of them were just plain mean to each other.

"But Hista _saw_ them." Hatilda interjected quickly. "Shd said they
were rutting like..." She caught herself, turning red. "That they were
together." She pointed at Enamra. "She's already proven that she'll
spread her legs. Why wouldn't we believe it?"

Enamra visibly shrank. They were right. They had no reason not to.

"I do not allow foul language in this hall Hatilda, One more time and
you'll be packing your bags. Without references." Jylanya was angry
with the entire situation and the way the other girls had jumped on
hearsay as truth just because they didn't like Enamra. "You have all
but tried her and you're _not_ Harpers, and you didn't see it with our
own eyes so you're not witnesses either. I will talk to Master Thyede
and _you_" she pointed at all the girls, "will shut up. Am I clear?"

"He walked by on the way out from Enamra's room, and she's _known_ to
spread her legs for men," Lesani said. "And Hista said that she saw
him adjusting her skirt, so."

"Men?" Jylanya's coloring was turning toward alarming. "She had a
child. For all you know she was raped so you tell me how that makes it
_her_ issue. Or that she's ever done it with more than just the one.
The entire point here is that _you_ are making yourselves look
ridiculous and me for having you on my staff. Lesani, you're
dismissed. Pack your things, I'm sending you to the Weyr where you can
find passage anywhere else you wish to go. I told you to shut up and
you didn't. Anyone else have anything to say?"

She looked at the other faces in the room and turned on Enamra. "You
go to your room. I'll be with you shortly. The rest of you back to
work and if I hear another word about this from any of you, you'll be
following Lesani."

Enamra wasted little timing in darting towards the door and
disappeared quickly down the hall as she made for her room.
Embarrassed, humiliated, and miserable, she closed the door behind
her.

After Enamra ran off the others lingered a moment and Jylanya put her
hands on her hips. "Well?"

Tenmi said nothing to the Headwoman, too frightened of her temper to
respond. She just shook her head very quietly.

There were tears in Lesani's eyes as she stalked out of the room. She
liked the Hall and her work at it. She wanted to see the right people
being there. The right people being people like _her_.

To suddenly be turned out by Jylanya for protesting Enamra's uncouth
and improper behavior, to be turned away for the sake of a girl who
just got here who everyone was treating like some special project and
like she deserved all of these extra time and help just because she
was fat with a child and looked sad because she made bad decisions.
It was so unfair! What made Enamra so special anyway?

And meanwhile, people like her got looked over because she didn't have
a sad enough story and she was just normal and hardworking. There was
bitterness and resentment as she went back to the drudges' quarters
and the thought that sure enough things were far too unfair to decent
people.

Last updated on the May 3rd 2019

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Consequences of Rumors