24, Tea time
As Ayya expected, her father had a smaller nervous breakdown after hearing that she volunteered to ride out into a wolf infested forest. But with the help of her mother, she calmed him down. To then explain how she nearly got burned alive in the inn.
“That’s it. I’m talking to Tariana tomorrow and making sure you will never get a field mission again,” he said, rubbing his hands over his face. Bettina laughed and gave him a hug and a kiss on his cheek.
“You know she will never agree to that, love. If anything, I think we should see this as proof that our daughter can take care of herself. She survived a wolf attack, a hunting trip and a fire. That is impressive,” she told her husband.
“Thanks, mom,” Ayya said with a smile. Kopa just groaned and shook his head.
“It’s alright, dad. You have taut me to be strong and trust in myself,” Ayya comforted him and patted him on his arm.
“I shouldn’t have done that. I should have taut you that you should stay close to home,” he sighed. Both women laughed. They knew he didn’t mean it. He got a kiss on his cheeks from both of them before they made dinner.
When Ayya got back to her apartment that evening, there was a prospect waiting outside her door.
“A message from the Lady, I’m to wait for a reply,” he said, holding out a note to Ayya.
“Thank you. Have you been waiting for long?” she asked.
“No, my lady. Just about twenty minutes.”
“Please wait here and I will return with a reply shortly,” she told him and went into her apartment. She read the note, Tariana asked if she could stop by Ayya’s apartment the next afternoon for some tea. Ayya smiled. It felt nice, and a little nervous, to have Tariana over for tea. They had always met in Tariana’s apartment. But she jotted a reply that Tariana was more than welcome and handed it to the prospect. Ayya had just closed the door when someone knocked on it. She opened it and saw another prospect.
“Evening, my lady. A note for you. I was told to wait for a reply,” she said, holding out a note. Ayya nodded and told her she would be right back. She took the new note and smiled when she saw it was from Tenac. He asked her if she would be free to join him to visit the clan on Saturday. She quickly wrote that she would love to and handed it to the prospect. Ayya closed the door and stood watching it for a moment, making sure no one else would knock. When no one did, she went into her apartment and started planning for the next couple of days.
After lunch the following day, Ayya decided to work from her apartment. She hated to leave work half finished, but she also needed to prepare for Tariana’s visit. She had made nut casings she would fill with fresh fruit and cream. Ayya had just but the kettle on to make sure to have hot water for the tea when Tariana knocked on her door. They sat down in Ayya’s kitchen after a quick tour of the apartment.
“It is already looking like a home,” Tariana said with a smile as Ayya served them tea.
“Thank you. My mom helped me to make the curtains when I was away,” Ayya said.
“I thought I recognised the needle work. I read the report from your assignment. It was quite an interesting read.”
“Oh, I thought you had a week off,” Ayya said, sitting down at the table.
“I do. But then, I’m the Lady. I seldom have the luxury of being completely free of work. In this case, it was more a question about my curiosity,” Tariana told Ayya. “Have you told your father?”
“About what happened when I was away? Yes, I knew he would read the report eventually, so I thought it was best to tell him myself. He said he would ask you to exclude me from further field work. But I think mom and I persuaded him to let go of that idea,” Ayya said. Tariana chuckled and took a bite of the nut casing.
“Don’t worry, even if he had asked, I would have said no. You are in the running to become my successor. We can’t afford to take you out of the field,” she assured Ayya.
“I’m happy to hear that. I enjoyed the experience even if there were parts of it I would rather had skipped.” Tariana nodded.
“I didn’t predict that it would be so complicated. I thought it would be a straightforward mission. But I’m happy that you handled it and that it didn’t deter you from doing it again. How do you feel about your current work? Too boring?” Tariana then asked Ayya.
“Not at all. I find it fascinating. It shows how much we can help with simple means and it gives you a really good picture of what is happening all across the continent,” Ayya said with enthusiasm. Tariana smiled and nodded.
“Yes, that is a good way to see it. That is why it’s a good task to work with. You learn what the people actually need help with. As aari, we sometimes assume that our research into the big questions will revolutionise the world. But in reality, it is the practical studies that find simple solutions to everyday issues that have the biggest impact.” Ayya nodded and thought about it.
“Is that why you have to explain what the practical use will be when you report you want to do a new study?” Ayya asked. She was thinking back to the paperwork she and Procecsa had handed in when they started their migration study.
“Yes. I added that requirement as we had a tendency to do studies that were really impressive on paper, but they didn’t have any practical use in real life. They were more philosophical. Sometimes we need a gentle reminder of what our goal is,” Tariana said. They changed the subject and Ayya asked about how Tariana’s trip had been. Then they talked about Ayya’s visit with the clan.
“Do you feel like an aari yet? I know it took me a couple of months to fully feel like I actually was an aari and not just pretending,” Tariana asked.
“I know what you mean. I still get startled sometimes when I see my reflection or when someone addresses me as ‘My lady’. But it doesn’t feel as strange as it did the first weeks. I think it has been helpful that I feel like I make a difference in my work.”
“You still feel you need to earn it?” Tariana asked.
“In some ways, yes. Not that I’m expecting to be thrown out or that I would be alone if I’m not perfect. But I still feel like I want to make everyone that has helped me to come this far proud. I feel like I have a duty to do my best to honour your help,” Ayya confessed.
“You already have, Ayya. Just by adapting to living in Salamis, you have more than made our effort worthwhile,” Tariana told her and gave her hand a pat.
“Thank you. I will try to remember that.”
“And what about the whole five elements thing?”
“Honestly, I don’t think about it most of the time, and when I do, it feels like it’s farfetched for me to get anywhere in the selection for your successor,” Ayya said.
“You underestimate yourself. You have already won a couple of council members over and if you continue on the path you are on, I predict that more will follow. But don’t let that pressure you. Just relax and keep pretending that it isn’t happening. It obviously is working for you,” Tariana told Ayya. Ayya looked at her friend and felt shocked. She really had thought she didn’t stand a chance. But now, if she did at least have a slim chance, she needed to think if she would accept the offer if it was made. Tariana stayed for a couple of hours, and Ayya found she enjoyed the time just as much as when they met in Tariana’s apartment.
When Ayya was alone, she sat down and started thinking. If she would be offered the chance to become a contender for becoming the Lady’s successor, would she accept? In Ayya’s mind, it all came down to if she thought she could do the work Tariana was doing. If she didn’t think she could do it, she had no right to accept to take the place of someone that could, not even for being a contender. Ayya sat long into the evening, missing dinner, to try to figure it out. In the end, she concluded she would accept if she was asked. She was far from ready to take on the responsibilities that Tariana carried. But Ayya thought that with time and the right guidance, she could be ready. And Tariana had told her she wasn’t planning on retiring any time soon. If that was the case, then Ayya would have plenty of time to get ready.
