Disclaimer: I do not own Circle of Magic. That belongs to Tamora Peirce. I
also do not own the Green-Sky trilogy - where that chant and the whole
palm-magic thing is from - which is by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. (honestly, I
didn't make that name up) Umeko Liona is mine, however, and if you take
her you will be hit with a frying pan. ha!
AN: I can't say too much for fear of giving away something that I think is
really neat, but please excuse horrid translations. My phrasebook sucks!
Oh, and forget that The Circle Opens ever happened. It didn't. hehe ^_^()


*CHAPTER ONE*

BANG BANG

The blows on the door sounded and shook the cabin on Discipline violently.

What's up? Briar asked Tris, who was in a tree outside.

Niko and some girl. She's older than us, but not by much. Tris searched
the girl with her eyes, feeling safe in her hiding-spot. I'd tell you not
to tick her off, but that seems inevitable. Briar chuckled.

Sounds a bit like one Coppercurls not too far back. Tris laughed too, but
inwardly.

I'm coming through the back as soon as they go in. Alright?

Got it. Briar opemed the door. "Niko! What's up?"

"Lark or Rosethorn about?" He asked. Briar's eyebrows scrunched
worriedly. Niko sounded very worn and very hassled - something he hadn't
been even when dealing with the four young mages currently living in
Discipline house.

"Yea. I'll get them. Come on in." The door shut behind them and Tris
half-jumped, half-fell out of the tree, running around the back, catching
Dedicate Rosethorn's attention.

"Tris?" she asked.

"Someone inside for you." She gasped out between breaths, and flew
through the door. The auburn-haired dedicate stood, brushing dirt off her
clothes, and headed for the cabin. She reached the front room at the same
moment Lark did, Sandry in tow.

"Hello, Niko. Who's this?" She motioned to the girl, whose deep violet
eyes were regarding the cabin's residents with the utmost contempt.

"This is..." he paused with a sigh, "How does she say it?" The girl
glared up at him.

"Konoyaro." she muttered. "Watashi wa Umeko Riona desu. Hitots
Kannushi-san." All eyes were glued to her. The girl's incomprehensible
chatter left them all groping for words.

"What did she say?" Sandry asked. Niko sighed again.

"That's just the problem. I have no idea what she's saying. Nobody I've
ever seen has spoken this way before." Lark's face fell in defeat.

"Mila help us..."

"Does she understand what we say?" Daja asked, appearing on the stairs.

"She understands the concept of names, but that's about it. Tones of
voices affect her too." He turned to her and jerked a thumb at himself.
"Name." he stated clearly.

"Goduaiyu-san." She muttered. He pointed to her. "Umeko Riona."

"So what is she?" Was Sandry's inquiry. "Is she a noble or trader or
merchant, this Umeko?"

"San!" Umeko interjected.

"Excuse me?" Sandry whispered, realizing the girl addressed her.

"Watashi Umeko-san, baka!" Sandry nodded.

"So I have to call you Umeko-san." The girl grinned, flashing bright
teeth.

"Hai. Shitsurei des ga, onmae wa?" Sandry looked at her imploringly.
"Anata namae." The girl pointed at her.

"Oh... I'm Lady Sandreline fa Toren. Sandry."

"San... du... ri..." Niko stared at the two girls. Umeko had refused more
than three words to him at a time, yet Sandry she was talking and laughing
with!

"Sandry..." he began. Both girls looked at him. "Do you understand what
she's saying?"

"Well... sort of. I get the general idea of it, anyway. Her name is Umeko
Liona-san. Then she asked me what my name was." She took a breath. "I
think she needs respect. Where did you find her, Niko?"

"Er... in a forest, actually. Near the west coast of this continent. I
think she may come from an island in that sea."

"What?!" Everyone chorused. Umeko looked around, a slight smile playing
on her lips.

"Oro?"

"Niko, where will she stay? We've no extra rooms." Rosethorn spoke.

"She can stay with me." Sandry offered. The adults exchanged glances.

"Well... I can't see why not." Lark said after a moment. "Does she have
bags, Niko?"

"Just what she's got with her." He motioned at her knapsack. "But...
there is one thing I forgot to tell you..." He glanced around. "She has
pets."

"Pets?" Tris asked from the table.

"Pets." Niko repeated. "One is a fox, and one resembles a horse... but
the last one..."

"You don't know what the anomals are?" Rosethorn challenged.

"Well... no. Sandry, maybe you should take Umeko-san and bring the...
whatever it is... in here."

"Come on, Umeko-san." Sandry, said, going to the door. She opened it and
shreiked. "Wha... what IS it?" A pink cat the size of a tiger, with purple
stripes, stood there. White wings dominated it's back, and antlers sprang
from it's head. Umeko clapped twice.

"Inazuma!" she called. "Inazuma, yoshisanai!" The creature - Inazuma -
walked around Sandry, giving her a wide berth, and sat beside Umeko. Daja
stared at it incredulously.

"It's an angiger!" She exclaimed, drifting a few steps nearer.

"Hai. Ahnjaigeru." Umeko repeated, looking at the dark girl. "Anata no
namae ka?"

"Daja Kisubo." She replied, startled, recognizing "name" in her
scentence. Rosethorn cleared her throat.

"If you would put some tea on, Tris? And Umeko,-"

"Umeko-san." The girl stressed.

"Excuse me. Umeko-san and Niko, please have a seat. You must be tired."
Umeko cocked her head at the woman, shrugged, and walked over next to
where Tris was tending the fire. She squatted next to Tris, watching her
work, and then asked,

"Ocha o motte imas ka?"

"Pardon?" The plump redhead returned, pushing up her spectcles.

"Ocha?" She made a frustrated-looking motion in the air with her hands,
and pointed at the kettle. Tris shook her head.

"I don't understand." Umeko sat down cross-legged and pulled her knapsack
around to her front, fishing through it for a few moments before
retreiving a metal can smelling strongly of forgien spice. She opened it
and pulled out a pinch of the dark powder.

"Ocha. Ocha o motte imas ka?" Tris stared for a moment before saying,

"Tea. You wanted to know if I had... that tea. Rosethorn!" the dedicate
looked over.

"What is it, Tris?"

"She has tea. From wherever she's from!" Rosethorn had crossed the room
in two strides to kneel next to the girl.

"May I?" She asked, and Umeko dropped the pinched powder into Rosethorn's
hand. Briar smiled. It seemed that his teacher's commanding power
stretched even between languages. Rosethorn smelled the powder and probed
it with her magic. "I've never encountered this plant before." She finally
admitted. Briar came over.

"Could I have a whiff?" Rosethorn looked at him sternly.

"Surely if I've never seen this plant beore, you haven't either." Briar
shrugged.

"The theif-king had all sorts of spices in the right season. Maybe I'll
have caught scent of it once before." Rosethorn dumped her palmful into
his hand.

"Well, I sincerely doubt..."

"Ohh... this is exotic." He looked directly at Umeko. "Green tea, sencha
brand?" The girl's eyes lit considerably and she nodded. "It's extremely
rare and worth an much as me. They grow it far south of here, but it's
origin is unknown." Rosethorn shook her head.

"Who could have known street life could help this situation?"

"Umeko-san, probably. Look at her clothes. Completely mismatched, and
pretty ragged. The armor too. I'd say she was living in the streets before
that forest where Niko found her." Sandry knelt to take a closer look.

"I think you're right, Briar. Lark, do we have anything that would fit
her?"

"Well, I'll go check. You take her to your room and get that armor off
her." Briar looked at her.

"One girl isn't going to be strong enough to lift that armor."

"One girl is wearing that armor." Tris pointed out. "Come on Daja, we'll
help." The dark-skinned girl nodded from where she was petting the angiger
and the four girls went into Sandry's room.

"What we want you to do is undress." Sandry said. "Umm..." She motioned
like she was taking off gloves and a hat.

"Wakarimasen." Umeko said uncertainly. Tris walked forward and tugged on
the girl's glove directly.

"We're getting you new clothes." She tugged on her shirt and pointed to
Umeko. "You need to take off those to put on the new ones."

"Ohhh..." She made an understanding noise. "Naruhodo. Hai." She took off
her helmet first and handed it to Daja, who stood waiting. The metal-mage
almost dropped it in surprise - it was made of solid bronze. The gloves
were next, leather weighted to the point of bursting with lead. It took a
girl to carry a single glove. Her armlets, which were after, weren't quite
as heavy. Those were followed by her cape - a dark slate-blue fabric
heavier than any of them had imagined, laden with tons of interwoven cryst
al and an attached steel mail underlayer. All three girls worked to get
that folded. Her boots were the most astounding though. Knee-high leather
they could see, but when Daja moved to take one from the girl's grasp, she
gasped in shock.

"Daja?" Sandry asked worriedly.

"These have steel in the toes and silver on the inside!" Tris's eyes
widened in appreciation. Boots of that quality were hard to come by and
more expensive than could be afforded by even someone like Sandry. There
was a tap on the door and Lark entered, carrying some spare clothes that
the girls all thought looked awefully farmiliar...

"They're Rosethorn's. They seem to be identically sized. She said that as
long as we get her washed it's alright."

"We can't take her to the bathouses, though." Tris protested.

"Which is why we need to let Briar in here for a second with the tub
she's going to wash in until she learns some common. Tris, you and Sandry
will bring water from the well to fill it and Daja, you heat it. I'm going
to go to the Earth Temple stores to get her some loincloths and
breastbands and order her some clothes of her own. Make sure she dosen't
make a mess." The girls laughed.

"Aye aye, captain!" Sandry joked, and opened the door. Lark left and
Briar entered, carrying the large bathing-tub they hadn't used the whole
time they were in Discipline.

"I don't get what's so special about this girl." He remarked sourly. "I
still had to bathe in the houses..." Tris turned her steel-gray eyes on
him.

You'll be singing a different tune once she's washed and in Rosethorn's
clothes. She thought, and smiled. As soon as Briar was out of the room,
Sandry rubbed her hands together and pulled up her sleeves.

"Well, while you're waiting, Daja, could you start teaching her some
common? Just the names of things for now."

"Of course." The dark girl said in her quiet voice. "But what to say?"
She looked up to find Umeko regarding her carefully.

"Daja-san?" She asked.

"Hm?"

"Nani ga arundes ka?" Daja sorted through the tones of voice and asked,

"You asked... what is going on?" She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm" she
motioned at herself, "Teaching you" she pointed her hands at the girl,
"Some of the words in my language. Get it?" She extended her hands palm-up
in front of her as she asked the question. Umeko looked at the hands, back
up at Daja, and back.

"Anata... ii-iie." She stumbled over her words. "Machimas... hai." She
reached her own hands over to close the gap, and touched palms with the
girl.

"Te e te, watashitachi 'konnichi wa' kore des,
no watashitachi shuukai hotaru-sen tobimas,
ni Uta to ni Jinja no ichi des,
no ichi Ureshii to Ai iro desu."

Umeko chanted the words and they rolled off her tounge with more ease
than Daja thought could speak with except in trader. Then, suddenly, she
knew what the girl had said and instinct told her to repeat it the best
way common could.

"This is our greeting, palm-to-palm,
as our meeting fate-lines flow,
merged in Spirit and in Song,
Love and Joy united grow."

A gold feeling power rushed into her from the point of contact. She
stumbled backward, unintentionally breaking the connection. Three voices
crowded into her head.

Daja? What was that? Asked Sandry innocently.

Trader, what's going on? Tris questioned.

Daj', what's up? Inquired Briar.

I'm not really sure myself. She thought back. Give me a bit to figure it
out and I'll get back to you on it. She paused. Wait, what did it feel
like to you guys?

"Like white silk in soft, volumnious folds." Sandry replied aloud, coming
into the room with a full bucket of water.

"Humid air and evening dewfall." Tris said, following the noble.

Damp earth, giant ancient trees, and lush forest growth. Briar replied in
mind-speak, being unallowed in the bathing room. Daja nodded and turned
back to Umeko.

"You... when we did that..." she touched her palms together. "Did you
understand me?" Umeko moved her head from over one shoulder to over the
other. Daja shook her head. "I'll just explain it later. Anyway, it's time
for your bath."