-1Daja sat in Frostpine's smithy, staring blankly at the flames dancing in the bellows before her, waiting for inspiration. Nothing. Nothing at all. Daja's mind kept drifting back to Rizu. Everything she did anymore, anything she saw, it always seemed to come back to her, to Rizu. A bracelet in the market. The glint of bronze in the firelight. The living metal on her palm. The very thought of forging, of creating, always--always--came back to memories of Rizu. Daja had cried more times this week than she had lifted a hammer in a single day. True, she told herself and everyone else that she was over her. But who could blame her, it being the week of her beloved's birthday. Just the thought that she was missing an important day in her former lover's life--the celebration of the day she was born, such a beautiful creature!--and she was missing it. It was probably not appropriate to send her a gift, but Daja did it anyway. She had created a beautiful living metal bracelet that resembled vines that fit adjusted to fit perfectly to Rizu's wrist no matter what she was doing, could never be taken off against her will. It was the only thing she had created this week. The only thing.

And now Daja sat, waiting. What for, she didn't know. Perhaps she was just waiting for this week to be out. Perhaps for one of her foster siblings to call her to supper, fussing over her charred clothing, telling her to get cleaned up or else she wouldn't be fed at all. Just the thought of it almost brought a smile to Daja's heavy expression--almost, but not quite. Well, no matter what it was, all Daja knew is that there was a sense of expectancy about the air, as if the earth held its breath in fierce anticipation. She was content to wait, just gazing into the fire, slipping in and out of meditation, her former teacher long gone to Discipline.

It was an hour later that the tension broke, like fire from the brush, in the form of a soft voice.

"Master smith?" The voice was quiet but steady, confident and strong. Daja turned, the voice of copper ringing in her ears in an ode to the beauty standing before her now, unnoticed until it spoke.

Daja cleared her throat. "Yes?"

"I was told--rather rudely I might add--to come and give you a message," the mysterious woman's perturbed tone almost made Daja laugh, but she held it back. Why was she suddenly so happy?

"From who, and what is it?"

"A rather feisty red haired young woman. Called herself Tris, I believe." Daja nodded. Yes, Tris would be the one to send a stranger to her, though why Tris didn't tell Daja herself what she wanted through their mind link, she couldn't begin to fathom. "Anyhow, Tris comes up to me in the middle of the market and tells me to come here and tell you that you'd better be on time for supper or else. An utterly befuddling woman, I must add." The woman crossed her arms, finished with her message and waiting for whatever was to come next.

"Thank you…"Daja trailed off, looking at the woman intently.

"Lily Meron."

"Thank you, Lily. I'm Daja Kisubo. Pleasure to be your acquaintance." Daja smiled, her first real smile in a week, and held out her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Daja." Lily said, eyes laughing as she took Daja's hand and shook it. Iron joined in on copper's chorus.

Daja stared at her for what seemed to be an eternity then blushed slightly. "Would you like to join me for dinner? As an apology for my sister giving you orders, of course," Daja asked hastily. Lily nodded. Daja released her hand and walked out of the smithy. She stopped and called back as she realized that Lily hadn't followed her.

"Well, come about! If you thought Tris was bad earlier, then you definitely don't want to see her irked--and she will be if we're late." Daja couldn't help but grin as Lily rushed to catch up, a flurry of modest skirt and blouse.

They walked along in companionable silence for a while, comfortable in each other's presence though they were only just met. They had almost reached Daja's home when Lily spoke again.

"Is she always like that?" Lily asked. "Your sister, I mean," she said hurriedly at Daja's confused expression.

"Ah, yes. I guess I should apologize. I forget how sharp tongued Tris can be sometimes. My other sister, my brother, and I all have developed a kind of immunity towards it," Daja said, apologetically. "But in truth, Tris only acts mean spirited. She's really quite kind hearted. But don't tell her I told you that! I'd never hear the end of it, and she'd get upset at me. An angry Tris is not a fun one to be around." Daja said quickly. Lily laughed.

"So she just acts meanly so people don't know that she really is a nice person? That's kind of strange." Lily looked confused.

"Truthfully, Tris has good reason to act like she does. But I'll let her tell you that." Daja frowned, then spoke absently. "In fact, most things that Tris does has a good reason behind it."

"Really?"

"Yes. At least, that's what I thought. But I can't even begin to figure out what her reason for making you a messenger girl was. We have a much easier and quicker means of communicating, after all."

"You do?"

"Yes, we do. Quite interesting really, how it came about…"Daja stopped and sat on a bench and Lily sat next to her, watching her eagerly.

It was late into the evening when Daja finished talking. At first she had spoken of how the connection with her brother and sisters came about, but then she found herself going on from there, regaling Lily with tales of Shriek, Tris's bird, Little Bear, and other mishaps that the unique family had experienced. Lily had been a very good listener, and Daja felt herself drawn out by Lily's understanding and sympathetic words whenever Daja stopped speaking. Soon tears had wet Lily's shoulder as Daja told her about Rizu, Lily gently rubbing comforting circle on her back.

It was there that Tris found them, an hour after they had fallen silent. Instead of the expected reprimand and verbal lashing she had expected, Tris gently drew a weary Daja up, a rare softness to her grey eyes.

"I thought I'd find you here," was all she said. Daja just nodded, drained from the outpouring of emotions. Tris made sure that Daja could stand on her own and helped Lily up as well. "Come. Supper is growing cold. Sandry's worried sick about you, even Briar. You come too, Lily."

Daja trudged wearily after Tris as Lily walked by her side, occasionally putting a hand out to steady her. Daja welcomed her support as she would have likely fallen over. The lack of sleep from the last week had finally caught up with her. She was vaguely aware of being sat down to eat with Lily beside her and of Tris shooing their brother and sister out of the room before leaving herself.

"I'm sorry for dumping this all on you, Lily." Daja's voice was hoarse.

"It's alright. I feel honored that you trust me so much, on such short time of friendship." Lily's voice was soft, laced with something that Daja's tired mind could not quite place.

Nothing else was said until it was time for Lily to leave, and then it was only a quiet good-bye from them both. Tris showed Lily out, and Daja thought vaguely that she had heard her ask Lily--quite sincerely--to come again anytime. But she couldn't be sure.

Tris came back and helped Daja up and walked her to her room where Daja promptly fell on her bed. Tris gently removed her boots and stockings then tucked her in, surprisingly motherly.

"Do you like her?" Daja asked sleepily. There was no question of whom she was referring to.

"Yes, quite a bit. She's a good person." Tris's voice sounded far away.

"…good… I like her too…"

Daja heard Tris move to the doorway then turn around, her voice carrying softly and slightly sly to Daja's ears. "That's good. And I hear she's available, too."

Daja didn't have the strength to glare at her sister. Instead she just grumbled. "Stinkin' kaq Matchmaker."

Tris's soft and slightly wicked laugh was the last thing Daja heard before finally succumbing to sleep's embrace, and into the waiting arms of a sweet dream in which she and Lily danced.