Side A – Yasgrid
Yasgrid felt a hand rest on her shoulder from behind and knew without turning exactly who it was.
“Destroyed everything we might have had?” Gossma asked with the sort of amusement which only a long familiarity with Osdora could have produced. “Regretting your vows already are you Kaersbean?”
“Yes,” Osdora said, without breaking stride but with a tiny treble in her voice. “I’m regretting I didn’t say them years ago instead of dragging you to that stupid drum.”
“You’ll have to forgive my wife,” Gossma said. “She’s been on a diet of putting her own feet in her mouth for too long and she sometimes falls back on old habits.”
“That’s no problem Mom,” Yasgrid said, patting Gossma’s hand fondly. “We know Osdora has her little issues, and that she forgets to tell people important things sometimes.”
Osdora turned at that exchange and the look of surprise on her face was worth the entire trip to Yasgrid.
“Wait, why aren’t you surprised?” Osdora asked, her earlier nervousness at having been caught turning to incredulity at both her daughter’s knowledge and her daughter’s apparent transference of affection to her new step-mother.
“Haven’t you heard? I’m a mighty sorceress now. Able to best those who can ensnare the gods themselves,” Yasgrid said, hoping to tease her mother even further.
“Also, she spoke with Nia,” Kyra said, throwing Osdora a verbal life line of understanding.
“How did Nia…oh…right. Marianne,” Osdora said.
“Weren’t you going to tell Yasgrid yourself my dearest?” Gossma asked. “I believe ‘the moment I see her’ being your exact words?”
“Well, yes,” Osdora stammered. “But them she asked me for my blessing, or approval, or whatever. To court this one.”
“I belive ‘this one’ has a name. Kyra if I am pronouncing correctly?” Gossma said, with a nod of her head in Kyra’s direction.
“You are. Our languages seem to share many common sounds,” Kyra said.
“Our gods are unoriginal hacks,” Osdora said. “Of course they copied off someone else. Anyways, when did you two meet?”
“Oh, we haven’t,” Gossma said. “It’s a pleasure. Marianne has spoken about you, though far more briefly than you deserve I suspect.”
“Does everyone know everyone else here? Everyone but me?” Osdora asked.
“You know everyone now,” Naosha said. “All that’s left is to give your blessing to our daughter.”
Yasgrid blinked at that. Naosha did not chose her words carelessly. Nor would she have used that particularly inclusive phrase if she and Osdora hadn’t come to a conclusion as to the state of their offspring already.
Kyra squeezed Yasgrid’s hand for support, perhaps sensing what it meant for a girl who’d grown up in a family of two to suddenly find herself part of a much larger familial narrative.
“I don’t think I can,” Osdora said, and the small traveling party came to halt. “I mean, putting aside the fact that I’m the worst person to ask for relationship advice, I still need to ask for her approval first.”
Side B – Nia
Nia loved Shatter Drumming. Even as tired as she was, her fingers itched to make contact with it, and her heart was pounding out the song she longed to play. For all that however, the sight of Horgi and Grash carrying a Shatter Drum and heading towards her made her think that, just possibly, fleeing back to the Darkwood would be a wise idea.
That idea was cut short by Belhelen waving the pair over and sliding down to make room one of them on the bench, while Margrada pulled Nia close to make room for the other and the drum.
“Glad we could find ya,” Horgi said, sliding in next to Belhelen.
“Wasn’t sure you’d be up and about so soon,” Grash said, placing the Shatter Drum tantalizingly close to Nia.
That Margrada’s one armed hug turned into more of a partial restraining grapple said that Nia had picked her spouse-to-be wisely.
“Yeah, we were just catching up,” Nia said, her eyes drifting towards the drum despite her intention to look anywhere else. “We were, uh, just going to look you up after this too.”
“Oh, really? Well, that’s good then,” Grash said, sounding uncharacteristically sheepish.
There was a long moment of relative silence (the dining hall was still a thunderous din of conversation and general auditory clutter) before both Nia and Horgi spoke at the same time, their words tumbling forth faster than either could pull them in.
“I need to borrow another drum,” Nia said, just a Grash said, “We need you to play again.”
“Uh, what?” Nia asked as Horgi’s words penetrated her nerve-addled mind.
“You need a drum?” Grash asked, wrapping a protective arm around the one he’d brought.
Belhelen looked at the two of them and burst out with a laugh.
“Just talk to them, eh?” she asked. “Looks like that was solid plan alright.”
“What is it that you need Nia to play?” Marianne asked.
“It’s, well, it’s complicated,” Horgi said, while Grash continued to defend the Shatter Drum without pulling it away from Nia at all.
“Why don’t you tell them why you were going to ask for a drum then Nia?” Marianne suggested.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea,” Nia threw the words out to buy herself some time to regain her composure. She’d been so worried about a confrontation over the drums, or really about permanently establishing herself as an absolute loon in the eyes of the Roadies. The possibility of them wanting her to play again had blindsided her so thoroughly that she couldn’t even guess what they had in mind apart from her own idea. “I’d like to borrow a drum, under supervision, to play a song that shows people the kind of new paths that they can follow.”
“And tell them what kind of supervision you have in mind,” Marianne prompted.
That wasn’t something Nia had discussed yet, or even thought about much. She assumed someone like Pelegar, or maybe Osdora would want to watch over her to make sure she didn’t go too far off track. If the Roadies wanted to oversee things as well, she wouldn’t have minded their backup either.
Nia was about to explain all of that when Grash cut her off though.
“Actually, what we need is just to have her play without anyone getting in the way.”