Teja and Pyrrha -- for the light-boat festival

[gotland_npc]

The door Teja opens comes out on a hillside, and in the valley below it, there's a large, prosperous farm with a longhouse and many out-buildings -- baking oven, forge, and so on. It's near dusk, and everything is covered in snow. To the right, there is the sea.

There are children playing in the yard, and light streaming from the open door of the longhouse, and smoke from the snow-covered thatched roof.

Comments

[scarred_grin]

"I guess," she says with a shrug. "Oh, they say they let everybody vote, that we're all a big happy democracy, freedom in action, but it's not true."

[ostro_goth]

"Just like the Roman republic, then," Adalgoth says, with a smile. "I think there's no ideal way of ruling or to be ruled; it changes, also, from how many people there are, and what kind of times they live in. Have some nuts and apples?"

[scarred_grin]

"Thank you," she says, and helps herself to some.

"I think people are better off governing themselves in small groups--where people know each other, and can look out for each other better. But with so many people, that doesn't work, and you need bigger groups. But the way it's done where I come from isn't a very good way."

[ostro_goth]

Teja takes the platter from Adalgoth, helps himself to some, and passes it on.

"It works here," he agrees. "But there is always the temptation to keep on growing, and then it will stop working."

Adalgoth nods, and takes a sip from his hot cider.

[scarred_grin]

"I'm glad I don't have to make any of those kind of decisions," she says.

Life is simpler, being nobody special. Not being responsible for anybody but herself.

[ostro_goth]

Teja will not now point out that she is special -- a denizen of Milliways, and an avatar of Loki!

"It is something one cannot decide, only try to steer," Teja says.

"Surely," Adalgoth says, "one may reason with people?"

[scarred_grin]

"You can try," she says. "But for that to work, everybody needs to be there in good faith, and a lot of people aren't. They're close-minded or they're just out to get what they can for themselves."

[ostro_goth]

"It is more reasonable to work together, because all will gain more in the end," Adalgoth says.

"People aren't always reasonable, neither Goths not Romans nor any other," Teja says. "And sometimes, our dear Goths must be fed reason from a special sippy cup."

Adalgoth laughs.

[scarred_grin]

"All you can do is try to look out for your people, and for the people who don't have anyone else to look out for them," she says. "The rich and powerful will take care of themselves. They always do."

[ostro_goth]

"It's quite a job to keep the balance, even here," Adalgoth says. "And there are always some who would use the weakness of others, or what they see as such, for their own greed and gain."

[scarred_grin]

"People are always gonna be people."

In good ways as well as bad. There's just no getting around it.

But the good things outweigh the bad, for the most part.

[ostro_goth]

"And none are ever perfectly reasonable," Teja says. "We aren't, either."

[scarred_grin]

"Yeah. Which is why I'm glad I don't make these decisions."

She can be as unreasonable as she needs to be, and it doesn't matter much.

She sips her cider.

[ostro_goth]

One of the tiny girls comes and climbs into her lap, deeply trusting that anybody with Teja will be safe, and good to her.

[scarred_grin]

Pyrrha's safe. Well-pierced, but harmless.

"Did you have some of the honey cakes?" she asks her quietly, with a smile. "They're really good. But you probably knew that already."

[ostro_goth]

The little girl stretches out a hand, with a hopeful smile, and nods.

Does that mean she can have another?

[scarred_grin]

Of course it does! To Pyrrha, anyway.

She may not be the best person to put in charge of a child. All she knows is her own extremely strict upbringing, and that that strictness was wrong, so any kid near her is liable to end up spoiled.

But one honey cake surely can't hurt.

"Here you go," she says. "I'm Pyrrha. What's your name?"

[ostro_goth]

Eating the honey cake, she answers something that sounds like 'Bah-ree-yah'.

"Valeria," Teja supplies.

[scarred_grin]

"That's a very pretty name," she says, smoothing the girl's hair back.

"I like it. Do you have a boat for tonight?"

[ostro_goth]

"Yes!" she says, still eating. It's a bit messy, but she definitely mastered the principle. "Is blue!"

[scarred_grin]

"Blue's a very good color for boats," she says. "Do you make it yourself, or do you have help?"

She's picturing origami boats, but is pretty sure that's not the case here.

[ostro_goth]

"Hilde help!" little Valeria says, pointing at the older girl. "She make sails!"

[scarred_grin]

"That was really nice of her," she says with a smile. "I bet you two made a really good team, making your boats."

She takes a sip of cider, and helps herself to some more of the fruit.

[ostro_goth]

"And Murrr-sha," Valeria says, pointing at the other tiny girl, her twin, who is sitting on their mother's lap. "Murrr-sha's boat green!"

[scarred_grin]

"Green's a good color too," she says, glancing where Valeria is pointing. "If I were gonna have two boats, they'd be green and blue--they'd sorta match. Like you two."