Side A – Yasgrid
Yasgrid was as delighted to see Naosha as she was confused to find Osdora standing beside her.
“Did you two set this up?” she asked, not entirely sure which pair out of the three women might have been responsible.
“I had a suspicion that you might be looking for us,” Osdora said.
Osdora.
Not the Fate watcher. Not the brilliant mastermind.
Osdora.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I do know how my daughter thinks in case you’ve ever wondered about that,” Osdora said.
“I’m sorry, I’m just, how did you know I was going to be looking for you?” Yasgrid said. “I didn’t know we’d be coming here until abut twenty minutes ago?”
“We thought you might have something you wanted to share with us,” Naosha said. “Something that you both might want to share with us.”
Yasgrid drew in a breath and tried to resign herself to the notion that she was never going to surprise Naosha ever.
Or apparently Osdora either.
“We do,” Kyra said. “And we have some questions for both of you.”
“I would suggest we retire to the Darkwood for a quieter spot for conversation but I’m having some renovations done at present,” Naosha said.
“Renovations? Where?” Yasgrid asked.
“Everywhere,” Naosha said. “Or everywhere that’s practical to create accessibility for our new friends.”
Because while Elves could fit in a Stoneling town, Stonelings would be just a tiny bit squished in most Elven homes.
“I’ve got a place here we can use,” Osdora said, and started leading them from the throngs around the gate towards the outskirts of Gray Falls.
“And are you having any renovations done?” Yasgrid asked, knowing her mother well enough to make that a teasing question.
“As a matter of fact I am,” Osdora said.
“It was Mrs. M’Kellin’s idea, wasn’t it?” Yasgrid asked, again knowing her mother.
“We each discussed the accommodations our people might need in spaces set aside for common use,” Naosha said.
“Has there been any consensus formed on the existence of the gates?” Kyra asked.
“It’s early for any formal consensuses to be announced, but early signs point to a general interest towards establishing the cities where the gates exist as officially mixed areas,” Naosha said.
“Yeah, it turns out we’ve got merchants on both sides who just love the idea of getting to sell to a whole new group of people,” Osdora said. “I think it helps that the Darkwood has a lot of things we lack and the same is true in reverse, so we’re not stepping on each other’s toes very much.”
“I believe your Shatter Drummers and our Wind Chorus have engaged in fruitful dialog as well?” Naosha said.
“The Wind Chorus, the Leaf Walkers, and the Night Seers,” Osdora said. “I have an appointment a bit later today with Gwenola Canti in fact.”
“Gwenola’s an old friend. I’ll send you over to her with a tray of Sourberry Pockets,” Naosha said.
Despite the difference in their stature, Yasgrid couldn’t help but feel that the two women were the most evenly matched people she’d ever met. That made her next question somehow easier to ask.
“So, if you both know why we’ve come, does that mean we have your approval?”
Side B – Nia
Singing Yasgrid’s praises was something Nia would get tired off sometime after the far end of never, but the breakfast conversation spun onto other topics nonetheless.
“So what are you two planning to do from here?” Belhelen asked, nodding towards Nia and Margrada.
“We were going to take a quick trip back to Frost Harbor,” Nia said.
“We spent the last few months on the road, I’m not sure how quick that trip could be?” Belhelen asked.
“There gates connect in some unexpected ways,” Marianne said. “I believe there are quicker routes through them than through overland travel now.”
“Oh. Neat. Why go back to Frost Harbor though? Everyone we know is here. Or almost everyone. Oh! You want to go tease Halfhid about all the drumming he didn’t think you’d ever be able to do!”
Nia laughed at the idea, and filed it away for later.
“No, Halfhid’s safe. Also, he could just claim he never trained me or said those things about me and Yasgrid’s not here to argue her case,” Nia said, knowing that Halfhid had been more encouraging than he ever let on, and that he’d just claim what Nia could do was always possible for Yasgrid too. And he wouldn’t be wrong. “We need to visit Mar’s Grandmother.”
“Oh, is she doing okay?” Belhelen asked.
“Last I checked. She’s a dock worker and even her boss says she’s a good twenty years away from retiring.” Margrada’s pride was plain, but Nia wondered if there wasn’t some concern there too, since the world had changed rather drastically and there was no telling how everyone was reacting to that.
Nia glanced over at Marianne and caughther Elven friend mouth open and about to reveal the actual reason for the trip, but Marianne stopped herself, and instead snagged another mountainberry from her plate, leaving the timing of the their bridal announcement to Nia and Margrada.
“Before we do that though, we need to go talk to the Roadies,” Margrada said, steering the conversation away from a premature declaration of marital intent.
“Have they made demands on you?” Marianne asked, surprised by something at last.
“No,” Margrada said with a guileless smile.
Marianne instantly cast a glance over to Nia, suspicion rife in her eyes.
“You can’t possibly…,” Marianne started to say before pausing and shaking her head. She turned to look at Margrada. “There is some measure of sanity in this latest madness I presume?”
“What madness?” Belhelen asked, looking around at her three companions to work out the words which were being left unsaid.
“They’re going to ask for another set of Shatter Drums,” Marianne said. “It’s possible the songs have enspelled them still.”
“Not the songs,” Margrada said.
“All of you,” Nia added. “We’re not playing for ourselves here. Yasgrid and I. We talked that part over already. What we want to do, before everyone starts going back to the old lives, is to show them the paths that are out there to all the new ones they could lead.”