There's Washing To Do|Skyheort | Talen'sul

[Kender Bard]

Every day brought with it chores - the most tiresome of them being laundry. Gathering up her family's dirty clothes, Alethia carried her basket down to the communal washing fountains.

She was quite startled to see Laura there. "M'lady!"

"Oh don't bother yourself," Laura laughed and patted a spot near the fountain near herself. Alethia sank down in the proferred spot.

"Don't you have servants for this?" she inquired as she fished out the washing board and cake of soap.

Laura just shrugged. "I like doing things for myself. Besides, Saph is handling the work right now, and the girls are off playing. I had a free moment, and I miss being a wife and mother, and not the Lady of Winds."

"I can understand that," Alethia laughed, smiling as Mina hesitantly walked over with her own basket filled with robes and all the laundry from the trip on the road. "Hello!"

"H-hi," Mina mumbled, kneeling down and starting to wash in silence.

Laura looked at her curiously and then shrugged, chatting up with Alethia on the latest gossip as both the ladies hoped more ladies would join them and add to the gossip pool.

[Darastrix]

Nathan spotted Mina easily, and was most surprised to see Lady Calder there as well. Well, this is will be interesting, he thought.

"Mina!" he called, waving. More softly, though his words carried on the breeze, he added, "Your sister is doing her damnedest to get money out of your leaving them."

Eril followed closely at Nathan's side, bowing to the women present. "We apologize for disturbing your washing."

[Kender Bard]

Alethia and Laura just sat up, looking wide eyed at the scene.

Mina rose, drying her hands on her robes, eyes lighting up as she saw Nathan but it was quickly dimmed as she saw Belle hot on his heels. "Belle! What are you doing here?"

"I could say the same to you!" Belle retorted.

Mina just gave her a strange look. "I'm... doing laundry."

Belle stood quietly for a moment before blurting, "Well that doesn't matter. What matters is that you are back in Talen'sul, safe from this man. Don't worry, big sister, we'll get every copper we deserve for him spiriting you off the way he did."

Mina stared a moment before laughing at how ludicrous her sister was being. Belle turned an ugly shade of red at that.

Laura and Alethia exchanged a glance and, secretly, a grin. They settled in to enjoy a good row, and a show.

"What are you laughing at!?" Belle demanded, stomping up to Mina. Mina's laughter faded to a scornful look.

"You, silly chit!" she snapped. "Nathan didn't 'spirit me away' as you claim, I ran off and took him."

Belle huffed at that. "Well I hope you had fun! It's time for you to come home."

[Darastrix]

"If she'd wanted to go back there, don't you think she'd have gone by now?" Nathan interjected. "You know, if you'd treated her kindly, or even like a person, I would have had no problem with hiring a maid to take up the slack in her absence. But you've shown me quite clearly that you don't deserve that, and nobody deserves to put up with YOU, no matter how high the wages."

[Kender Bard]

"I wonder how this came about," Alethia whispered to Laura. "Are you going to step in?"

Laura gave a little shake of her head. "No, not unless I have to. Though I had no idea that the young man was involved with the young priestess."

"The only reason she hasn't come home is because you're keeping her from us," Belle snarled, falling back on her old arguement.

"Listen to yourself!" Mina exclaimed. "You don't even make any sense anymore. I don't want to go home. Tell mother to stay out of my life - and you'd better too, or else!"

"Or else what?" Belle growled, getting close to Mina now. The girls were almost toe to toe and the air was thick with their tension.

Mina slapped her, hard.

"Oh dear," Laura sighed. "I don't think I can let this pass."

Mina looked at her hand. "I can't believe I did that." Belle rubbed her cheek and stared in open mouth shock before slapping her back.

"Okay, that's enough!" Laura shouted, standing up.

"She started it! She hit me first! You all saw it!" Belle nearly shrieked.

[Darastrix]

"It's no less than you deserve," Nathan muttered, scowling at Belle. "What in Taed's name is wrong with you? She wants to live her own life, so let her live it."

[Kender Bard]

"Stay out of this!" Belle snarled at him.

"Don't talk to him that way!" Mina growled at her sister. Laura started to wade between them.

"Ladies!" she scolded. To Mina, she said, "M'lady priestess, you ought not have hit your sister. I feel I should fine you." As Belle was about to smirk and gloat over her apparant victory, Laura rounded on her. "And YOU! You're a terrible brat! I'm fining you for hitting her back AND for disturbing the peace with your idiotic carrying on. Go home, child, and leave your poor sister to her life. She obviously wants nothing to do with you. If I hear you attempting to harass her further, I will take this matter to a more serious level."

"But-" Belle protested.

"Go," Laura ordered. With a growl, Belle slunk off.

Mina rubbed her cheek and managed to look abashed. "I really shouldn't have hit her... How much is the fine?"

"Five copper," Laura decided. It was very cheap.

However... Mina winced and thought of her meager stipends and savings. The trip had taken most of her money...

[Darastrix]

"I'll pay the fine," Nathan said quickly. Hell, it was worth twice that to see Mina standing up for herself like that.

"I'll pay it," Eril spoke up, fishing the copper from his purse. "It's the least I can do considering how much you've helped my friend," he added, smiling at Mina as he offered the coins to Laura.

[Kender Bard]

Laura accepted the payment with a smile and went back to her washing, chatting with Alethia ameiably.

"Oh," Mina exclaimed softly. "I remember you." She smiled at Eril fondly. "Thank you. Nathan, I am so sorry about the trouble. I had no idea that they would be so tenacious. Hopefully this will keep them both at bay; mother is such a miser with her money, she won't want to risk further fines."

While Mina talked, Alethia and Laura began to do her laundry with secret smiles, having admired the girl's spirit and the entertainment her spat provided.

[Darastrix]

"There's no harm done," Nathan said with a smile. "I just can't believe it. She told me to pay her or she'd go to the Calders about my kidnapping you."

"Cass will get a kick out of it," Eril put in. "If Nathan ever had the thought of kidnapping a woman, he'd probably ask her how she'd prefer to be kidnapped first."

Nathan chuckled at that. He did tend to defer to women more than the rest of his friends.

[Kender Bard]

"I would like to be swept up into your arms and taken off into the sunset," Alethia quipped, earning titters from Laura and even Mina.

"I can't begin to apologize for all the stupidity she left in her wake," Mina sighed.

Laura tugged Mina's sleeve and whispered in her ear, causing her to blush brightly. "M'lady!" Laura laughed and whispered something else, causing a more thoughtful look.

"Perhaps I could..." Mina hesitated and glanced at Laura again before going on. "..Bake something and bring it to the guild?"

Alethia snorted in amusement.

"It's a legitimate peace offering," Laura protested.

[Darastrix]

"That's not altogether necessary--you can't help who your family is, after all--but it would be appreciated nonetheless," Nathan said with a smile.

"Just don't let Uriel get wind of it," Eril added with a quiet laugh. "The boy can eat an entire pie by himself."

[Kender Bard]

"I'll make sure to bring plenty," Mina giggled, taking the basket of now-clean laundry that Alethia scooted towards her. "Well, I'll see you later then." With a smile for Uriel and... a slightly different smile for Nathan, Mina departed.

"You boys behave now," Laura sang out as she began to collect her own clothes.