Sunfeather

Lady Snowpearl might have promised an informal dinner, but Sera fully expected that she and Sister Forty-Six would have to face down a crowd of suspicious relatives. Particularly since what passed for a small family in this world was enormous by Sera's standards. Judging by the anxiety Sera could feel from Sister Forty-Six, the nun wasn't expecting this to be an easy meal either.

'I don't think the makeup was a good idea,' Sister Forty-Six thought as they rode silently down the lift next to Brother Forty-Three. 'He doesn't like it.'

Most of the windows on outside of the curving staircase that encircled the lift were closed and it was getting dark outside in the garden, so the windows made a very effective mirror as the lift slowly descended. Sister Forty-Six was pretending to look out into the dark, but was really watching Brother Forty-Three's reflection as he kept sneaking sidelong glances in their direction.

Sera smirked inwardly. 'No, that's not it, Sister Forty-Six. This is the behavior of a boy who just noticed the girl next-door is all grown up and gorgeous and doesn't know what to do about.'

"What?" Sister Forty-Six gasped in surprise, meeting Sera's gaze in the reflection now. Brother Forty-Three's head snapped in their direction at the same time. "That's--"

"What's wrong, Six?" Brother Forty-Three demanded. Sister Forty-Six frowned at him and waved her hand dismissively.

"Nothing. Something silly Sera mentioned," she said. And then looked down at the ground as she blushed.

Sera laughed silently. 'You two are adorable. I think I may have to help Lady Snowpearl with her campaign to marry you off.'

"Don't you dare!" Sister Forty-Six said, once again meeting Sera's gaze in the reflection. She darted a glance over at Brother Forty-Three's reflection. The monk looked worried. 'He doesn't . . . it's not . . . I will never speak to you again!!'

'Alright, I'll mind my own business,' Sera replied with amusement. Which was probably wise, since things would probably become . . . uncomfortable . . . as the pair's relationship deepened.

"What did she say, Six?" Brother Forty-Three asked, seizing their shoulders and turning them so that he could peer down into their face. "Did she tell you to do something wrong?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sister Forty-Six said impatiently, even as she blushed.

"Answer me. Tell me what you said to her, Traveler," demanded Brother Forty-Three, eyes narrowed as he scowled into their shared eyes. He flinched as Sister Forty-Six kicked him in the shins, but didn't let go, even when she tried to swat his arms away.

"Take your hands off me, Brother Forty-Three, or the next time someone shoves you off a tree limb I won't dive down to save you," Sister Forty-Six warned. "The conversation is a private one. If Sera wanted you to hear what she had to say, she would speak up."

"Six . . . not all Travelers are--" he broke off for a moment, eyes going briefly distant, scowled, and then continued, "Not all Travelers are good. You are so . . . "

"Stupid?" supplied Sister Forty-Six, her voice dangerously mild.

Brother Forty-Three was not a complete idiot and went with, "Trusting. You are so trusting and so determined to see the good in everyone and everything, you'll just blindly believe this 'Sera' has your best interests at heart. But she's--"

He broke off again, scowling as as his gaze went abstract again. Sister Forty-Six was so angry she didn't notice. Sera could sense her mind spinning as she tried to find the words to express just how angry she was. She finally managed to spit out, "Let. Me. Go."

But Brother Forty-Three ignored her, in favor of staring intently into their shared eyes again and saying, "If you hurt Six, I'll make you regret it."

Sister Forty-Six punched him in the nose and shrieked, "You leave Sera alone, you . . . you . . . ."

"Jackass?" Sera suggested, as the lift doors opened. The monk yelped and lurched back, pinching his nose as it started to spurt blood.

"Yes, that," Sister Forty-Six agreed, even Brother Forty-Three protested, "Six! What the hell was that for?!"

Sister Forty-Six kicked him in the shins again, probably doing more harm to her toes than his leg, but definitely finding it satisfying. She wrenched herself loose and stalked out of the lift into what turned out to be a sitting room. As several dozen shocked faces stared, Sister Forty-Six lifted her chin and sailed forward. She quailed a bit as she found Lady Snowpearl among those gathered, but gritted her teeth and continued forward.

"Good evening, Lady Snowpearl," Sister Forty-Six said, curtseying.

The lady of the manor glanced past Sister Forty-Six, rolled her eyes, and said, "I see I overestimated Obie's ability to mind his manners. You didn't hurt your hand, did you?"

Sister Forty Six looked down at her hands for a moment, and said, "No."

"Oh, good," Lady Snowpearl said with a smile. "You look lovely."

"Thank you, Lady Snowpearl," Sister Forty-Six said.

While the younger woman was trying to figure out whether she was supposed to return the compliment, Lady Snowpearl slid an arm through hers and asked, "Now, introductions. What shall we ask everyone to call you? I suppose I shouldn't ask them to call you 'Six'. Not when my boy is doing so terribly. But 'Sister Forty-Six' is such an awkward mouthful."

It took Sister Forty-Six a moment to sort through which part of that speech she wanted to reply to. Finally she said, "Six is fine. I'm usually getting scolded if someone calls me 'Sister Forty-Six'."

Lady Snowpearl chuckled, "Six it is, then."

She proceeded to lead Six around the room, introducing an assortment of cousins, elderly aunts and uncles, and even married siblings. There were also household officials — the captain of the guard, the head librarian (who was also an uncle, or a cousin, Sera wasn't positive which), and the chatelaine among others. Sera rapidly lost track of who was who, but Sister Forty-Six—no, just Six, she reminded herself—seemed unconcerned. Sera supposed being good with names was an important survival trait in this world where a family with a dozen children was considered a small.

Lady Snowpearl concluded the introductions with an elderly woman with butter-yellow skin and short green hair that had likely once been lime-green, but now was more of a sea-grass color mixed with white. "And this is Aunt Sunfeather. Aunt, this is Sister Forty-Six, who has graciously given us permission to call her Six. She is under the impression that she needs to earn her keep, even though she is a guest. Aunt Sunfeather is my personal secretary, Six. I'm going to leave you here so that she can interrogate you and decide how you can be useful."

Sunfeather's smile broaded and her eyes twinkled alarmingly as she said, "Oh, this is going to be FUN." She patted the cushion next to her on the long bench she'd claimed. "Sit down, and let's talk. I assume you can read and write. Can you count past ten without resorting to using your toes?"

"Yes," Six said cautiously, as if unsure if she ought to be insulted.

"Well, that's a good start. Come on, sit. Tell me what you did at the Temple. And before that. And what you enjoy doing. Also what you loathe doing. And while you're at it, tell me why you look like you're stuck half way out of a chrysalis," Sunfeather instructed. After a glance around the room, probably in search of rescue, Six sat down.

"Um, what would you like me to start with, Lady Sunfeather?" she asked.

"Madame Sunfeather. Or Aunt Sunny, if you'd like. The title belongs to my great-niece, and whichever daughter-in-law she decides to pass it down to," the elderly woman corrected.

Six grimaced, but said, "Thank you for telling me."

Sunfeather's eyebrows rose and she observed, "I believe that's the first time someone has thanked me for pointing out their ignorance."

"Well, I'm not happy about it," Sist—Six, Sera reminded herself again—acknowledged. "But I'd rather be told I've made a mistake to my face so that I can learn than have people laugh at me behind my back while I keep doing something wrong."

Sunfeather's eyebrows rose even farther and she glanced across the room, to where Brother Forty-Three stood in the midsts of a clump of rowdy younger family members. He wasn't paying any attention to them, instead was scowling off at nothing in particular. "Now how did you get mixed up up with our Obie?"

"Obie?" Six asked.

"Oakbranch. Oh. Bee. Obie," said Sunfeather.

"Oh," Six said. "We were in the same group of postulants at the Third Temple."

"And how did you end up at the Third Temple?" Sunflower wanted to know. As Six explained about how she'd come to join the temple, Sera watched Brother Forty-Three. One of the young women nudged his elbow to get his attention and he glanced over at her in annoyance. He masked it quickly and made a deliberate effort to enter in to the high spirits of his companions but after a few moments his attention wandered again and he looked around the room until he found Six and Sera.

Brother Forty-Three's gaze locked with Sera's with an almost physical snap. Six chattered on to Sunflower, completely oblivious to whatever Sera was feeling. Finally Brother Forty-Three blinked, and the connection broke. A frission of warning raced down Sera's spine as the monk shook his head sharply before turning back to his companions and granting a dazzling smile to a giggling woman with cherry-red hair and deep green skin wearing a sparkly white dress with loops of colored beads.

Something important had just happened. Sera was positive of that. But just what the something was was uncertain.

While Sera was puzzling of what had just happened, Six was taking notice of Brother Forty-Three again. Her eyes narrowed and a flash of jealousy and envy tinged with sadness went through her.

'There is absolutely no reason to be jealous of a woman who looks like a flocked Christmas tree with cheap decorations and a Santa Hat for a topper,' Sera told Six.

"A what?" Six asked, perplexed, and Sera concentrated sharing the image that had popped into her head when she saw the other woman. Six giggled, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "That's terrible."

'Yes, well, so is her wardrobe choice tonight,' Sera replied. She wasn't usually this catty, but Sera felt obliged to try and cheer up Six.

"Are you alright, Six?" Sunflower asked. Sera and Six both flinched upon realizing they had an audience.

"I . . . " Six floundered. Sera sighed mentally.

'You'd better introduce me,' she said. Six nodded and turned to Sunflower.

"Madame Sunflower, I am going to tell you something, but I must ask you to keep it a secret," Six said seriously. Sunflower's eyebrows rose again, eyes twinkly with amusement.

"You have my word, I will not break your confidence," she said formally, though she was still clearly entertained. Six smiled briefly.

"I have the good fortune of being host to a Traveler by the name of Sera Conroy," she said bluntly. Sunflower's mouth fell open for the briefest of moments. Whatever she'd thought Six was going to say, it wasn't that. Then the elderly woman snapped her mouth shut and looked Six over with narrowed eyes.

"And does Obie know this?" she asked. Six nodded. Sunflower cursed and muttered to herself, "And here I thought the boy was showing promise."

It was Six's turn to narrow her eyes as she said, "I'm getting tired of everyone thinking poorly of Three."

'Not mad at him any more, then,' Sera observed.

"Oh, I'm still mad at him. But that doesn't mean I want to hear him badmouthed," Six retorted.

"The boy has his good qualities," Sunflower acknowledged. "But I had hoped he valued you for your own sake. However if he know about . . . Sera . . . ."

"Actually, he doesn't like her, and was being very rude about it," answered Six. Sunflower's eyebrows rose again.

"Is that so," she said, shooting a thoughtful look across the room. "Well then. We'll see what we see, then, won't we?" Before Six could respond, the old woman gave herself a little shake and said briskly, "But you still haven't explained how you ended up at the Third Temple. That's not the usual choice, now, is it?"

"Oh, well, no," Six admitted. Blushing, she said, "I started out as a postulate at the Seventh Temple, but . . . there was an incident."

Sunflower cackled. "I'll be there was. And I expect to hear all about it."

Sighing, Six smiled sheepishly and began, "Have you been to the Seventh Temple? You know that enormous brass sculpture on the hinges? The one that looks like a giant pot? Well, it had been raining all week when I got there and I was really tired . . . ."