[Open] Seasonal offerings

[Géraldine Grangier]

There were strawberries on the stalls at l'Eventaire and I grinned wide, because those were ever my favorite fruit, and I'd missed them through the winter. I needed to buy supplies for my personal use regardless, and so after picking up a small box of strawberries – a treat, really – I entered the space and started to look at the vegetables in season, interested in making a good bargain.

I was dressed simply, cleanly, but I was not out looking for a patron, and so my hair was braided and coild around my head, the dress I wore a neat sheath of grey and green, to match my eyes. I picked a peach, touched its velvety skin with delight, and brought it to my nose, to enjoy its fragrance, smiling, eyes closed.

My life was a simple one, but it was good indeed.

[Sayuri Ai]

There weren't that many ways for a foreigner to earn money in this City, but that was the same everywhere, especially when you didn't know the language as well as they expected. Did these angel-people really think that the entire world waited for their words? In Ch'in they would have been as sorely displaced, but that wasn't worth thinking about. I was here to hide, their lovely features serving as a distraction to my ancestors, and all I had to do past that was stay fed, warm and alive. The arrangement wasn't comfortable but it was better than death.

My hands were filled with small trickets I'd carved or sewn, brooches and necklaces, beads and some rings with Ch'in patterns, pincushions made of silk and stuffed with wool and sand, and even a few hair clips and combs. All I could do during my travels was practice what I'd been taught in the back of the wagon or at camps the Tsingani set up, reinforcing my proficiency in them that had somewhat suffered when I was a child and would rather have picked cherry blossoms and run through the grass. Now I stood on a stretch of sidewalk across from a strawberry stall, offering my trinkets to those who passed by and keeping careful watch for the guards who may want to stop me. "Art from Ch'in, precious things," I offered quietly to one woman who passed, my voice thickly accented but still understandable.

[Géraldine Grangier]

The peaches were not ripe enough to my taste, and I'd politely thanked the enquiring clerk for her assistance, when I heard a quiet voice in a foreign accent address me. I turned and looked over – it was the softness of her voice that made me stop, and curiosity that made me look.

“From Ch'n?” I said, smiling a little – the woman was my age, humble in her bearing, and beautiful in a way that wasn't D'Angeline, and therefore, stood out. “You've travelled a long way to bring these to the city of Elua, madame. May I have a look?”

I wasn't sure how much I could spend on a trinket – but I was a start-up business owner myself, and I knew how difficult it could be, and being encouraging was the least I could do. Besides, she seemed goodly, and I was intrigued.

[Sayuri Ai]

The woman whose attention I got was smiling and seemed very gracious, like the well-married women of my homeland with their quiet natures. For a moment I wondered if she was a noblewoman, but why would one of them have been wandering a marketplace looking for fruit? They had servants to do that and were probably disinclined to do anything with their own hand that didn't reflect immediately on their husbands. Maybe just a wealthy woman then, or an unmarried one.

"Yes, should look," I replied politely, glancing up at her for a moment before I cast my eyes down and to the side, my tone respectful but calm as I held my hands out a bit further to let her look at the various things. "Are art learned in Ch'in, where came from, made by myself. Three ducats for exotic things, or two if buy more than one."

[Géraldine Grangier]

I was moved by kindness more than by the desire for a purchase, though I was curious, too, and thought perhaps if I could make a deal with her, a set of earrings would complete well my collection.

“May I sit with you? I should like to take my time to look at your wares, for they are very lovely, and very detailed,” I asked still on the tone I would use with my peers. She seemed a bit lost, a bit new, perhaps, and her clothes were distinctly foreign. I wanted to ask her name, and if she was safe here in the city, but I didn't dare, unsure about how such curiosity would be received.

[Sayuri Ai]

I wasn't sure if there was something about me that drew her sympathy or if she was intrigued by my features the same way Tabitha had been, but both my pride and my once-cultured manners drew me to nodding. "Would be honored," I said simply, my voice still quiet and polite as I moved over to a nearby bench, sitting on it carefully to keep from wrinkling my hanfu as I did so. It was a simple set but I only had two as well as the set of Tsignani clothing I'd traded for and I'd need more money before I could replace them. With a practiced motion I took the things I held and set them delicately onto the bench where she could take a closer look if she wished. "Words are most kind. Perhaps lady is wealthy wife?"

[Géraldine Grangier]

I started to look at the foreign girl's wares, paying particular attention to the jewelry, and when she asked her question, I looked up and gave her a quietly sad smile.

“Neither wealthy nor a wife,” I replied earnestly. “I am a Servant of Naamah, have you been told what that is?” I didn't want to be rude and assume she didn't know, nor do I want to be rude and assume she knew, and so asking seemed the golden means.

Part of me ached to show her friendship, somehow – and holding still in my hand a particularly pretty set of earrings, I paused, waiting for her answer, giving her my full attention as I'd been taught to do at Heliotrope.

[Sayuri Ai]

The look on her face was the sort that said she was unhappy about my question and my eyes narrowed a bit as I tried to figure out what I could have said to cause that reaction. Did she want to be a wealthy wife then? She had the decorum of one, didn't the men here value that, or did they want the more flamboyantly obvious ones who would have been punished in Ch'in? "Know what a servant is," I replied cautiously, watching her to see what I could glean from her expression. "Is one who does for others. Namaah is a god, yes?" Maybe she was a priestess of some sort, and though that sent a shock of fear through me I did my best to avoid stiffening.

[Géraldine Grangier]

“Naamah is an angel,” I corrected gently. “A servant of the One God, if you will. She disobeyed him, and came here to earth, for the love of Blessed Elua, the son of Yeshua ben Yosef.” I paused, not wanting to confuse her further, with names and stories, but if she didn't know this...

In our society, one couldn't get by, I didn't think, without knowing about D'Angeline ways as they related to intimacy. I felt it my duty, as a woman, to tell this other young woman all I knew, if she would let me.

[Sayuri Ai]

I understood perhaps one word in every four she spoke but I listened anyway, mouth set into a small frown of concentration as I tried to gather what she was saying. In Ch'in there were many gods, greater and lesser, as well as a variety of spirits and the family ancestors, all of which had to be appeased in their own fashion. "So son of god came to earth, spirit servants followed," I replied cautiously, knowing how upset some people could become over their faith if it wasn't addressed correctly. "Left father-god's court and came to land as spirits to do as they wished with son."

[Géraldine Grangier]

It wasn't exactly right, but it was close enough, and I didn't want to confuse her with details that didn't matter, ultimately, so long as she caught the gist of it. “Spirits made flesh,” I completed, “Aye. One of them was Naamah – she was made for love and for fleshly pleasures, and she lay with kings and strangers a like, so that Blessed Elua may live.” I paused, then, waiting for her to react to this, to see if she would put two and two together, or if my words had been unclear, somehow.

[Sayuri Ai]

This was a new turn and I had to think carefully about it for a moment. She was saying that this god, Namaah- or goddess?- was for pleasure and had worked as a concubine, sealing treaties and gaining rights for this Elua, who was a greater god. It made a sort of sense, but I still wondered why the father-god hadn't come to take his servants back. All spirits were somewhat jealous. "So are a servant to the concubine goddess," I replied after a moment, nonplussed and hoping that I had something of the idea. "Or are a concubine?"

[Géraldine Grangier]

Concubine sounded close enough, and I nodded. “I am both,” I replied. “I serve the goddess by re-enacting her service to Blessed Elua. It is a sacred practice, and one that is revered, here.” I turne, then, to show her my back, revealing the top of my marque. “This is the sign of those like me, though it takes a long time to be complete, a long time before we are free. Until the marque is done, we live and serve in one of the thirteen houses.” I pointed up the hill, showing the silhouette of one of them. “Have you been told?”

[Sayuri Ai]

Religion was always a difficult thing to get the details of exactly right unless you were raised with it, and even then the people in Ch'in had different ideas of where they stood in relation to our own gods. There was bright ink that was imbedded in her skin rather than painted on, which must have been painful, but gods liked sacrifices. What she was saying though was that they were concubines for a god- but then how did humans dare to touch them? The gods would get very angry. "People on hill are wealthy," I replied, a bit more warily. I wasn't interested in acquainting myself with these gods, especially not if one of them would try to claim me. Still, a concubine was well cared for, and this woman said she 'was' one. Did the gods let people go then?

[Géraldine Grangier]

She seemed to listen avidly to my explanations, and I could see that my tale was making her thoughtful, as if she were puzzling out something very odd to her. I nodded, agreeing with her statement.

“Aye, the Thirteen Houses are wealthy, this is true. They hold influence, as perhaps temples do in your country. You see, Servants of Naamah may serve there for a time, and their upkeep requires resources – those who go to the houses are also wealthy, important and powerful people, and it would not do to receive them poorly.”

I was simplifying a little too much for my taste, but it seemed like the appropriate thing to do, and I imagined she would have further questions, which would allow me to develop my explanations.

[Sayuri Ai]

There were many large words being used, some of which I could only glean from their relation to other words. Resource- things, perhaps, or money? They got money from people to work their concubine temples because once the goddess of those places had supported their son-god with that behavior? It was easy enough to understand in some ways but I still wondered at how these gods demanded other offerings of these followers. "So followers pay by keeping priestess-concubines comfortable?" I asked with some interest, which was more than I usually showed. "But priestess are concubines to all of wealthy who pay for them instead of one family or ruler?" What kept them from being any different from the other women who sold themselves save for some luck then?

[Géraldine Grangier]

I nodded, agreeing with her understanding. “We follow Blessed Elua's precept,” I explained, “to love as thou willt. And so we are not assigned to one lover, but to many, though a servant must always decide whether she will accept the patron or not.” I added, seriously, “It is heresy to act otherwise. Sometimes an adept may be contracted for more than just a bedding – I was once asked to a Duc's wedding by an Alban dignitary, and my work was not only to pleasure him, but also to be his companion for the night, on his arm, keeping him entertained however possible. It is... more complicated and prestigious than just what bathhouse girls do, for example.”

[Sayuri Ai]

What she was telling me was familiar information in terms of concubines, who often entertained royalty with games and dances, or sat with the Emperor when he met the ambassadors of other nations. Some even made their way to becoming wives by being offered as gifts, or could become the concubine of another nation. "Concubines are meant to entertain," I agreed nonchalantly, picking up one of my brooches and looking over the carved lotus pattern on its wooden surface. "But in the end cannot become other wives to rulers, yes? Not used for trade." The idea of a bathhouse girl was easy enough, since that job also existed in Ch'in, but weren't these women just bathhouse girls for the gods? It was a better state but I was far too cautious to take anything at face value. "So why every girl not become servant if is better?"

[Géraldine Grangier]

“Some of us to marry well,” I replied, smiling a little. “Just last year gone, I attended the wedding of the Duc L'Envers, to one of my house mates. But not all girls, or boys, can join the service on Mont-Nuit, you see. The houses take in young adepts when they are but children, and train them in every aspect of the trade. I don't see why, though, older girls such as yourself couldn't go to the temple of Naamah and be dedicated, if you so wished it.” I smiled a little, remembering the day I'd gone and the fretful dove I'd let go in the temple. “But that is a choice one makes personally.”

[Sayuri Ai]

I wasn't sure whether to be insulted or confused at the idea of becoming a bought concubine; this woman seemed to take pride in it, and they did seem to live in comfort, but I also wasn't a member of one of these 'houses' she spoke of, which may well be families. Nevertheless taking that path meant going to a temple and I didn't want to gather the attention of any gods or spirits. Perhaps they would be kind now but if my ancestors came asking these deities may host them with the same kindness they offered to their children and then I would be discovered. I'd been raised with spirits having some small hand in everything, so how could that not be the case? They wouldn't come to help or hinder unless they wanted, but their rules were varied and strange. "Don't think is path for me," I said quietly, frowning slightly. "But think are lucky to have good ancestors and spirits to look after people."

[Géraldine Grangier]

She seemed thoughtful for a while, and I let her mull it over, until she spoke again. “Each must choose their own path,” I agreed. It was also what following Elua's precept meant – or at least, that was my understanding of it. “We are discounted by the One God, but his Angels look kindly on us,” I replied after a moment's thought. “And so yes, I suppose the D'Angelines are lucky indeed.” Her comment, though, had made me curious, and so I tilted my head, looking at her inquisitively. “Is that not the same for you, and your kin?”

[Sayuri Ai]

When a person was blessed with beauty, health and plenty it was easy to believe that there were good spirits looking out for you, but I'd learned a little bit of pragmatism, especially since I knew what my own gods would do with me if they caught me. There was the chance they'd forgotten the dishonor I'd brought my family; I was still too stubborn and cautious to accept that though. "Sometimes, but ancestors and gods are worried about whole family, not one person," I replied, very careful not to say something directly negative about the spirits. "Whole is greater than the parts."

[Géraldine Grangier]

“That is true,” I replied, but then I tilted my head, and feeling a surge of sympathy for her, unbidden, I reached for the foreign woman's hand. “But each part is part of a chain, and the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. All parts are important, even the smallest, frailest one.”

I wanted to tell her that she was important – the way she spoke, it seemed as if she were discounting herself, and truth be told, it saddened me. And I didn't even know her name.

“My name is Geraldine,” I offered after a moment. “And yours?”

[Sayuri Ai]

She spoke of people as a chain and reached for my hand, and while it was very poetic and reminded me of something that the other, sweeter noble girls would have said I simply watched her and kept my hand where it was, letting her do as she wished. Chains were only as strong as their weakest link, and in Ch'in the goal was to make a perfect chain, one with no weaknesses and held together by tradition, which was stronger than affection. More, I saw something like sympathy, or pity, and that made me cast my eyes down before I showed my irritation toward it. After all these people saw the picture I'd made of myself, not what I really was.

The woman was polite enough to give her name though, and my first lessons had always been that you had to repay courtesy with courtesy, no matter the situation or one's feelings. The irritation melted away and I bowed my head politely. "Am called Ai. Good to meet you."

[Géraldine Grangier]

It was a bit awkward, and I felt as if I may have done something untoward, and did not know what it was. I kept the contact brief, bringing my hand back to my lap shortly, and smiled a little. “It's good to meet you too, Ai,” I replied politely. The earrings I was considering were still in my hand, and I decided to complete the transaction. It seemed perhaps we had strayed into something we shouldn't have, whatever it was, and so perhaps a change of topic was appropriate. “I think I will purchase these,” I said after a short pause. “Or do you have a more suitable suggestion?”

[Sayuri Ai]

She only left her hand where it was for a moment and as she pulled it away I relaxed a good deal. Personal contact between strangers was still something I had to get used to. Something made me wonder if I'd somehow managed to offend this Geraldine but she seemed to collect herself and I put it from my mind. I was only somewhat good at reading people, mostly because I had become a suspicious person from experience. Besides, if she'd been upset at my behavior she'd likely have made a fuss and not wanted to buy some of my wares, wouldn't she? "Think those earrings would be lovely on you," I replied with a smile, flushing slightly in pride at the things she'd picked. "Is lotus with koi, which brings happiness, creativity and faithfulness. Could not think of anyone more deserving of such things."

[Géraldine Grangier]

I flushed too, and she seemed to feel better already – perhaps it was the contact that was untoward. I'd often heard of how foreigners found our ways perhaps too familiar. “You speak sweet words,” I said in response to her praise. “Though I could say the same, for an artist is ever deserving of happiness in my eyes.” I slipped my hand in my purse, looking for the purchasing price. “But forgive me – what is koi?”

[Sayuri Ai]

She spoke very kindly, but she'd been doing that all along and had been patient with my confusion about this land's ways. If I wanted to be polite as well I couldn't be suspicious of someone for that reason, even if I wasn't used to her ways in my own land or anywhere else. Perhaps this strange land was one where my oddness could be easily hidden, even if only for a little while, and one where I could trust people descended from gods of compassion and love. "Koi are fish, swim in garden ponds, like water pets," I replied, trying to put the right words together. "Say live in pairs and never part."

[Géraldine Grangier]

I smiled a little at Ai's explanation, and found the theme fitting. “Soul mates, forever bound,” I whispered, looking at the earrings once more. “It is a good symbol,” I said, “and it fits me. I was fostered in House Heliotrope, and our canon is Thou, and no other...” Part of me had always hoped that one day, indeed, there would be one and no other. I didn't know if it ever would happen – nor could I tell, at this point, if it was even just a dream too grand to ever come true, but it seemed that somehow, it was in my nature to seek it. It meant my heart broke often, but also that every patron I served felt special, and that was a goodly thing, too.

[Sayuri Ai]

Canon was a new word to me, but from the way she said it there was something it that she believed in. Maybe it was a family crest or a religious motto. A courtesan who only belonged to one was a familiar idea to me but at the same time she said they went to whoever paid the most. Did they stay with that one person forever then, or switch based on who paid more? It wasn't for me to think on though, not when my own business was underway. "If like that, is string of beads with more koi," I offered politely. "Humbly suggest may match well with earrings."