Men Being Silly

Writers: Estelle, Nici
Date Posted: 10th September 2005

Characters: Badia, Lindria
Description: Badia tells Lindria about her argument with Fielton
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 7, day 27 of Turn 3

Lindria arrived at the Vintner Hall to visit her friend looking so innocent and ladylike that her mother would have been proud. She was wrapped up warmly against the cold, her hair kept from blowing wildly by a woollen hat, and she carried a large sewing basket in one hand.

One of the Hall's staff took her cloak, hat and scarf and showed her to the Hallmaster's rooms where Lady Badia was to be found.

Badia opened her door carefully at the knock, her rather placid expression turning into delight when she saw who her visitor was. Once the door was closed safely behind them, she dragged Lindria inside and towards the warm hearth and comfortable chairs. "Oh, this is wonderful...how did you manage to escape today's boring old Records lessons?!"

"I told Mama that you were going to show me how to knit properly - I brought some balls of wool specially." Lindria opened her basket and displayed the neatly bundled wool in several different bright colours. She couldn't keep her virtuous act up for long, though. "She needn't know that I brought them for your new pets to play with! Where are they?"

"Good question...I'm pretty sure Star is hiding under the bed..." She looked around, then giggled. "There's Night..." She pointed to one of the chairs.
"I'm certainly glad we figured _that_ out before we sat. One day Fielton almost sat on one of them!"

"Oh no!" Lindria burst out laughing at the thought of the dignified Hallmaster accidentally sitting on a feline. "I doubt that would have been good for either of them..." She sat down beside the chair where the little black kitten was curled up, felt something underneath her and extracted a sturdy cloth toy that already bore the marks of teeth. "It looks as though they have a lot of toys already. I hope my wool won't be too boring for them!"

"If it gets them to stop nibbling on Fielton's socks, then it's worth it to see how they like it," Badia giggled. "You should have seen the look on his face when he went to put his foot in one and his toe came out the end..."

"Oh my!" Lindria couldn't imagine _this_ side to Master Fielton. "I wish I could have been there..."

"And it's not like he can get angry with them. Afterall, they were _his_
gifts to me..." She sobered, remembering that they weren't on speaking terms. "But how have you been? I'm resolved to make more treks to the Hold...it's just getting used to the cold. But if you can make it, I certainly can."

"Oh, that's all right - I like tramping about in the snow," Lindria said cheerfully. "I'm very well, and so is Alajeran. We're both feeling a lot more energetic now that Calrian's sleeping for a bit longer at night! Not that he isn't still a handful when he's awake...I dread to think what he'll be like when he starts running about."

"He'll be a _running_ handful then!" Badia said, reaching for one of the balls of wool and playing with it idly. "I'm still hoping to hold off on having a babe...getting used to marriage is difficult enough, trust me!" She let out some string and reached over to dangle it near Night's nose. "Still at least a baby would give me something to do!"

"You might think you had too much to do with a baby," Lindria teased. While he was awake, Calrian liked to have attention - if someone wasn't making a fuss of him, he would usually start to fuss himself. Then there was feeding him and bathing him and changing him - she didn't know how she'd manage without the Hold's nurses to help her out!

She grinned. "I'd like to see Master Fielton changing a baby...it's funny enough when Alajeran does it!"

Badia rolled her eyes. "I doubt he'd deign to lower himself. It's womens' work after all. A man's job is to walk about and act all manly and pompous and boss us women folk about after all..." She swung the string away from Night as he swatted at it.

"I think he do it if you asked him nicely," Lindria suggested with a wink.
Hoping to lure out Badia's other kitten, she took hold of the loose end of one of the balls of wool and then tossed the ball in the direction of the bed, letting it roll across the floor.

Her actions had the desired result and a streak of white erupted from under the bed, only to be met by another streak of black as the kitten at her side decided the ball of wool moving faster was more fun. Both kittens hit head first, howled, then took off for opposite ends of the room to take stock of any possible damages.

Badia giggled. "Maybe I'll hold off on the baby..."

"I think you've got _two_ babies there to look after - a third might be more than you can handle!" Lindria twitched her end of the wool, causing the ball to roll gently across the floor where the kittens eyed it with suspicion.
"What about Master Fielton? Does _he_ want a baby?"

"I'll ask him when I'm speaking to him again," Badia said, grinning as Snow crept forward cautiously, eyeing the ball of wool like fresh prey. "We had a small tiff." She wasn't sure labeling an argument that ended with her husband ducking flying objects a 'tiff' but she wasn't quite sure what to call it...she just missed her husband!

"Oh, you did?" Lindria wondered what to say. In some marriages an argument with one's husband was no laughing matter, but from Badia's relaxed demeanour she thought this might be more similar to her 'arguments' with Alajeran. "That's a shame...but the making up can be fun..."

"I suppose..." Badia sighed. "It's our first big argument, however so that might take awhile." She looked at Lindria. "I don't like _not_ talking to him, even if he is arrogant and bossy...but I have to put my foot down, certainly...I mean I don't know...I've never been married before and maybe I'm mucking it all up!" For the first time, she seemed uncertain.

"Not at all. If he's trying to boss you around, you need to stand up for yourself and show him who's in charge," Lindra replied airily. "I can guarantee that he'll get bored of not speaking _long_ before you do."

Badia giggled despite her sober thoughts--life was simply too short to mope after all! "Oh, and how often has Lord Alajeran tried to boss _you_ around, hmm?" She'd seen them together and couldn't imagine that scenario at _all_.

"Only _once_," Lindria replied with a satisfied smile. "He learns quickly -
and he doesn't like sleeping on the couch in my dressing-room. Too tall!"

"Oh dear, I can imagine!" Badia sighed. "I just pretend to be asleep and Fielton says nothing and we stay as far away as possible from each other.
See, if I had a dressing room he'd have apologized by now!"

Badia's words might sound light-hearted, but Lindria was beginning to sense otherwise. Letting the ball of wool go for the kittens to play with, she put an arm around her friend's shoulder. "I'm sure it won't last much longer.
Master Fielton is besotted with you!"

The comfort--which she'd not dared to seek from her mother--was welcome and Badia finally let the ruse of 'happy' fall, swiping at a stray tear. "I think he was besotted with the woman he thought he married more, Lady Lindria. I'm afraid that was all my fault. He seemed to like me quiet and meek...and well, I liked the way he _looked_ at me when I acted that way.
It's just too much of strain to _stay_ that way!"

"Oh, Badia, I'm sure you're wrong. He married you because you are beautiful and intelligent and spirited!" Lindria exclaimed. hoping that she was right.
"Master Fielton is not stupid, and he couldn't possibly have mistaken you for someone who was meek and dull. Nor would he have married you if you were."

"I hope so..." Badia swiped at another tear. "Some times I'm not too sure, Lindria. I mean, the one time I stood up for myself he got terribly angry."

"He'll come round...you'll see. He just needs to get used to the fact that he can't order a wife around like he can an apprentice," Lindria comforted her. "What did you argue about?"

"Um...Hall policy with regard to...women and marriage." She wasn't sure if she should tell Lindria--after all, if she went to Lord Alalir and the situation escalated before Fielton came to his senses, he'd _never_ forgive her.

"Oh." Lindria wondered what Badia's husband had said. She hadn't thought him to be one such as her brother - marrying off his underlings as he pleased -
but whatever it was it clearly meant a lot to Badia. She, more than anyone, knew what it was to love someone and yet disagree with what they did. "Do you think he meant what he said...or was he just in a temper?"

"He always means what he says...even when it's stupid."

Lindria bit her lip. She wasn't sure what to say - it wasn't as if _she_ had ever had any success talking Enrizial out of his rigidly traditional policies. Indeed, if it hadn't been for those policies, she would not now be married to her beloved Alajeran...but she knew she had been lucky. If her brother had wanted to make an alliance with someone else, or quarrelled with Lord Alalir earlier, then she could have ended up wed to a man she despised.

"He'll soon see sense," she promised. "Once I argued so bitterly with Alajeran that he left the Hold and went to live in the wild for two whole nights. You should have seen him...his clothes were all torn and he'd grown a beard!" She smiled. "But he came back to me, and we made it up. Master Fielton loves you, and he'll soon realise that that's more important than any argument."

Badia tried to imagine Lindria's big strapping husband running for the wild to escape his wife's fury and just couldn't. Still, Fielton wasn't exactly a weakling and he'd turned tail and gotten out once she'd gotten angry. "I hope so. I miss him but I'm not backing down on the reason we argued. I just simply can't and either he'll realize he's wrong or things will have to stay as they are. I'm resolved!" She nodded resolutely and wiped another tear away. "And some hostess I've been. Your first visit to me and I've not so much as given you tea...just cried all over you!"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I wasn't thirsty anyway." Lindria smiled. "You can't be any worse of a hostess than I was that first time you visited the Hold. I dragged you out for a walk with a canine and then nearly got us both into trouble with my Mama!"

Badia finally managed a laugh. "Oh, it was worth it just to be able to tell the story to Lord Alalir and have him laughing with us!" She sighed and gave Lindria a quick hug. "I'm so glad you've visited...I needed someone I could talk to who'd understand how these silly men end up mucking up a perfectly placid relationship."

"That's the spirit! It's all just men being silly." Lindria started to giggle. "And speaking of silly...I think we might have to help your kittens." They'd both pounced on the helpless ball of wool, unravelled it and were having a great deal of fun getting themselves well and truly tangled up in the strands. "Maybe I should have made them one of my special dolls to play with instead."

Badia laughed and started after her errant kittens, trying to free them from their self inflicted snarl. "Special dolls?"

"You'll see. When you have a baby, you'll get one of them inflicted on you."

From the mischievous look on Lindria's face, Badia figured she'd best ask a few of the women about just how 'special' those dolls were...especially considering Lindria's skill with a needle and thread!

Last updated on the September 11th 2005

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Men Being Silly