A Birthingday Surprise

Writers: Kaysea
Date Posted: 28th January 2008

Characters: Causton, Misara
Description: Causton's birthingday surprise is to find his sister is working at the Tavern
Location: Vintner Hall
Date: month 8, day 22 of Turn 4

"I thought it was you!" Causton reached out and took hold of his sisters arm, pulling her into a small alcove behind the bar. Taking note that no one was in the vicinity, he pulled the curtain around the alcove and urged her into a seat at the table. "What in Faranth's name brought you here?" he asked in a harsh whisper.

"Causton, I knew you'd find out eventually, but I had hoped it would be me coming to see you in your rooms."

"How long have you been here?" he asked, shocked that she knew he had been here at the Hall yet had not bothered to see him.

"A few sevendays longer than you." She admitted, her eyes not meeting his. "I didn't want to make myself known to you, because I didn't know what your reaction would be, I also didn't want to make things harder for you here at the Hall. No one knows about me - " she tried to reassure him. "I've been doing drudge work, helping as one of the Tavern staff.

"I don't care what you've been doing here, you should have come to see me immediately you knew I was here." he admonished, his hands gripping hers across the table. "Where's Treast? I haven't seen him around either."

To say he was shocked to see her would have been the understatement of the Turn. The last he had heard, she and Treast had taken up residence in one of the Taverns a sevenday or mores ride away, in Carrier Hold.

"Treast..." her eyes misted at the mention of her husband. She had managed to keep her feelings at bay the last few month, but seeing Causton brought it all back. "He's...dead." she replied quietly.
"Killed by bandits for a measly few marks takings."

"No! When?"

**Why had he not heard of this?** he thought to himself. Surely someone in his family would have thought the death of a family member would be of import to him.

"A few months ago?" shaking her head she tried to think but knew she sounded vague - it just wasn't clear to her now, she had been in shock for so long. "I packed the children up and we just started walking."
she said, this time taking a deep breath to hold her emotions in check.

"You have two, right?" Causton asked. He had lost touch with his little sister in the intervening Turns since she had left for crafting in the north, which brought up a good point. "Your craft - who knows?"

"One: I have _three_ children." she replied, counting her points out on her fingers and sounding more than a little aggrieved with him. "Caslea is nine, Fonnet is five and Tuerra is three." she stated with surety. "And two, as I've already mentioned, no one is aware of my crafting." she gave her assurance again. "When we came back to the South I had planned to craft, eventually. But fate decided otherwise."

"Fate? How?" he asked, his breathing returning to normal for the first time in over a candlemark - since he had realised it was actually Misara he had seen working in the Tavern.

"Caslea arrived earlier than expected. I think it might have been a combination between the trip south and Dar's death that did it. She was a month early as near as we could judge."

Causton nodded, aware that his sister had given birth aboard the ship that had brought them south. That was one of the last updates he had had of her, except he seemed to remember hearing of the birth of her second child from someone, at sometime.

"Then when we finally got settled and Treast was granted tenure of the Tavern, the Lord Holder made it abundantly clear to all in the Hold that he wouldn't countenance a female crafter within his boundaries. He had a female crafter flogged for daring to practice her craft. Before she had even recovered from her injuries, she and her family were evicted from the property they had lived in for more than three generations."

Misara could feel her face whitening as she remember vividly being made to watch what had happened to the poor woman.

Causton squeezed her hand gently in comfort. He had never seen such a spectacle, but had heard of it happening. What happened in a Lord Holders boundaries was his business and no one, not even the Craft Master could legally object to the laws that the Lord Holder was upholding in his own Hold. It may be frowned upon, but the treatise about Hold, Hall and Weyr being autonomous still held.

"So you never practised your craft, at all?" he asked, surprised because even as a young girl Misara had a talent for fine liqueurs, that even he, himself, had envied.

"I didn't say that." she answered baldly. "I said no one knows about me." she continued, clarifying her answer. "Some of the more popular beverages we served at the Tavern were my creation, and the recipes known only to me. I often wonder now, whether the old Lord Holder is disappointed in the current takings from the Tavern, or whether the new Master has as much talent as Treast and I, combined." she held no illusions about her own talent.

"So what do you plan on doing now?"

"What do you mean, what do I plan on doing? I'm staying here."

"But Mis, you can't stay here, I can't allow you to practise the craft you hold rank in. I don't have that authority" he paused, " - yet. My hands are tied."

"Did I ask you to help me? Did I say I wanted to practise crafting? I can still create." she shrugged. "The children are happy here, and surprisingly, so am I. Bhervehan has been good to me - and to the children." she kept her face straight, betraying none of her feelings, not even to the brother she had adored when they were younger.

An audible shuffled sounded from the hallway beyond the curtain, and they both went silent, eyes locked, wondering if they had been overheard, and if so, by whom.

"Can we discuss this later? In my office - maybe tomorrow?" he asked, aware that he needed to get back to Daigoro before the man grew concerned at his absence.

"There's nothing much to discuss." Misara replied with a shrug.

"Please, Mis?" his eyes pleaded with hers.

With a nod of consent, she stood and turned from him. "Tomorrow, but you won't change my mind. Oh, and Happy Birthday!" she gave him a brief smile before disappearing behind the curtain.

He watched as she slipped out into the hallway. His sister had hardened, he could see it. But after what she had been through - was it any surprise? He wondered if he should discuss the matter with Geni, tonight, before he spoke with Misara again. Geni had always been more level-headed in these matters; after all, she could identify with Misara's position.

Another thought occurred to him as he made his way back to the Tavern's main room: just what was the relationship between Misara and the Tavern Master? Just how long _had_ she been here.

Last updated on the January 31st 2008

Welcome to Triad Weyrs!

A Birthingday Surprise