Middle of the Road

[Saruna]

Amber-eyed stared at Breda, stared through her.

"For the cause, of course. All else will be revealed in time," Blue-eyed answered, voice smooth and unruffled. "Wear what we have given you, choose whatever names you wish. Take care so that you are not recognized and not held up. You are clever enough to stay out of notice."

"We will speak to you tonight."

They were leaving. Saruna watched them in silence, not particularly reassured. Hesitantly, she asked, "Do you want to get some fresh air?"

[Breda Dreaughan]

Breda shrugged. She was still tired and sore, but the little house did not feel like a pleasant place to stay right now. And despite her tiredness, she was feeling nervous and restless.

"Yes. Let's get out of here."

Although it was early, it was already getting unusually hot. The dwarf glanced upwards, but all she could see between the buildings was the blue sky. "You think we'll get thunder tonight?"

[Saruna]

Leaving the old district, the poor district, eased some of the tension from Saruna's shoulders. She could not help but look across the green, towards the walls of the Justice Hall. They were dazzling white in the sunlight, almost like a hazy mirage.

"I'm sorry, what?" Saruna turned to look at Breda as the words that had been spoken caught up to her. "Oh, the weather. It is dreadful, isn't it? I rather hope for rain, my plants will wither. . ." when would she be back to tend them? It would be okay. "We will do just fine," she murmured, her thoughts skipping ahead. "Have you started to make swaddling for your baby, dear?"

She felt tired, even though all they were doing was walking slow and steady.

[Breda Dreaughan]

The thought of Saruna tending her garden made the dwarf smile. Plantlife was alien to her, but having it seemed to be a part of the strange concept of "normal life" she was slowly exploring. And this human, just like the Vondan couple, was an epitome of that normality, making Breda want to cling on to her like a safety blanket.

"I have been given some fabric for it," she responded to Saruna's question. "I suppose I have been putting off all the preparations. Thinking that if I don't prepare, it doesn't happen. I guess that's not going to work."

[Saruna]

Saruna was quick to offer her expertise, quick to assume that she would be there -- that they would both be whole and hale -- for Breda's delivery. Their conversation was relaxing in that way, soothing; a stay to all the other strange things that had gone on the last day or two. In that way, they passed the time. They passed through the market, and Saruna picked out a few things for Breda's baby, having nothing she wanted for herself. It was like that, the older you got: your focus inevitably strayed towards the young and the needy. At least, it was that way for Saruna, and she had no cause to reflect on what others her own age might want. Well, her own age and poor. She did not think on what those rich might want, besides the services of mages who could prolong their lives well past what was natural.

And then the sun began its descent towards sunset, and they had no more reason to tarry in the market. Unease set in around the edges of Saruna's calm.

"We should choose our new names," Saruna said, quietly, as they started back along the long, curved road with its unimpeded view of Justice Hall. It wasn't so busy, that road, for which she was grateful. She paused. "I suppose I will call myself Ritta. Ritta of Marn. What name will you choose?"

[Breda Dreaughan]

The bubble of normality burst, and the chill returned. "Ritta," she repeated hoarsely. "Yes, that's a good name".

Decades ago, she had made up a name and kept it. Now, she suddenly couldn't think of a single one. Perhaps, given a moment, she might have remembered what her name had used to be, but that was not a name she wanted to bear again. Not even for one night.

Desperately, she thought back of all the people she had known. "Um. Alina. I'll be Alina." A nice, shy girl, and long dead. "You think they will want a family name?"

Justice Hall loomed in front of them, in a surprisingly nonthreatening manner, and she wondered for a moment why there weren't more people around. Was there supposed to be some kind of party tonight? Plenty of gossip was exchanged in the smithy, but they were easily forgotten when you had no idea who most of the people talked about were. I don't even know what day it is anymore.

[Saruna]

"Hm?" A pit opened up in Saruna's stomach, and she looked askance at Breda. "I -- well, I don't think. . ." She pulled her shawl further up around her shoulders. Her feet hurt. The pain was distant. She looked towards the Justice Hall and its clean, shining walls. She'd always marveled at it, always admired it, always hated it. It was a beautiful building, covering up a morass of rot. As she watched, someone entered, and she wondered what business went on inside. "I don't think you need one," she said, feeling the words turn awkward and uncomfortable in her mouth. She liked Breda, she truly did, and that made everything all the worse.

[Breda Dreaughan]

Breda responded with a nod. The conversation died as they walked slowly forward, and Breda got lost in her wandering thoughts.

Her mind was miles away, back in the safety of the forge where things, even if laborious, were generally straightforward and predictable. And then it happened. She was brought back to the present by the noise that was felt as much as heard, just in time to see the windows of the Justice Hall fly outwards. She jumped, nearly fell, and grasped Saruna’s arm to maintain her balance.

After the explosion, there was a moment of complete silence, as if the world was wondering if it had actually happened. Then, the movement and noise returned slowly, as some people started running out of the building, and others towards it.

Something terrible has happened. Something terrible has happened, and somehow I’m part of it.

[Saruna]

Saruna stumbled and nearly fell with Breda; the miss would have been counted good if she hadn't felt something wrench in her hips. She coughed out a sound of pain, and pressed the palm of her hand to it, but as she steadied she didn't much care about the hurt. She was staring at Justice Hall, at the white sign of Marn, the sign that everything was fine, and well, and that their government had everything under control. It had exploded. No; it wasn't that the building had exploded -- it seemed much untouched -- but the parts of it that were not stone had not withstood the force of the explosion. The explosion that had happened inside.

"Theogios. . .have mercy," she groaned, dimly feeling the blood rush from her face.

She took a step towards the place, but her hip protested the movement. She stuttered another half-step, her hands rising to her mouth as smoke started to pour forth, and as though an eternity had passed she pressed a shaking hand to Breda's that was yet gripping her arm. "Theogios, oh, oh . . . " those words were the only ones she could speak, the only ones she could think.

Beyond them, those who had rushed in pulled out the first . . . corpse. It was a corpse. Saruna gave a strangled little gasp, and swayed. "Oh, no, oh, changers, oh," because this was not what she was supposed to be part of.

The sight of a guard nearly made her fall again, and then she did look to Breda. Her mouth was agape, her whole body shook, and somewhere deep inside of her, she felt a deep viciousness tremble: the hatred that had hardened into a stone after Marn had taken her father from her started to uncoil. Yet, as it met with the basic human decency that formed her everyday mores and beliefs, a queasiness formed within her. She was uncertain, and sick with it.

[Breda Dreaughan]

Breda was frozen, her brain screaming at her to do something, her body refusing to move. Once upon a time, before the latest upheaval of her life, she had received some training by the doctors at the Marn hospital - unofficial of course, almost as in jest, a handful of professionals believing they were doing good for a poor prostitute - but now her head was empty, and her feet rooted to the ground.

The most important thing is to act, they had told her. It’s always better to try and fail, than not try at all.

Finally, Saruna’s gasped words broke through the dwarf’s trance, and she turned to see the other woman’s pale face. Finally her brain kicked into gear. Here was a problem that was both straightforward and personal. She turned to face the human and grasped her forearms. “Sit down, Saruna!” No, she had hurt her hip. “Can you sit down? Would you rather I found you something to lean against?”