Chapter 3
Breda's attempts to make Marra drudge for her were not universally successful. The first thing Breda did was to tell Marra to unpack for her and fold her clothes neatly away, whilst lying on the bed giving a running commentary on how much each gown had cost.
Kelia came back over.
"Hey, Breda, what did your last drudge die of?" she drawled in sarcastic tones. "Marra, stop that; let the kid shift for herself. I've no objection to people helping friends, but when a lazy little object lies on a bed while others do her work, it's the outside of enough! And I must say, Breda, your parents have some pretty rum ideas if they let you think that lazing while others do your work for you is a reasonable thing to do!" she added.
"My father can afford drudges to do everything for me!" said Breda, haughtily.
"Oh yeah? Must be convenient not to take a shit for yourself and have someone else have your periods for you," said Kelia, with heavy irony. "Just because you can afford it doesn't mean you ought to grow up as a lazy, useless object! Decent parents don't let their daughters become idle little clothes-racks!"
"My father would throw a blue fit if I were so idle," said Barla. "He'd give me a good spanking and set me to drudge for a sevenday to teach me the value of work."
Breda took in Barla's knots: High Reaches Hold, direct line, Major hold indicated by the gold thread in the knot. She started revising her opinions a little.
It would not do to look bad in Barla's eyes; Barla had eligible brothers, and if she could wangle an invitation to visit, she might meet them.
Breda gave a careless laugh.
"Just kidding," she said. "Wondered how far the kid would go, is all. I'm sure My Lady Barla is extremely capable." And she started putting her own things away.
Barla gave Marra an anxious look. Amrys had asked her to look out for the girl, but Barla had no idea how to start. Marra was stood with her eyes downcast, fighting tears; would Breda do anything to punish her for Kelia stepping in? the older girl had been in the habit of careless unkindness to girls of her own sort of age who were less fortunate than herself even before her father won such a lot on the accumulator – Marra had only the vaguest idea what an accumulator might be - and had aspirations to be a lady.
Barla put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders.
"You don't have to do things for people, you know, Marra," she said, kindly. "You're here, like the rest of us, to learn more; not to drudge."
"You know?" Marra lifted her face to look on the Lord Holder's daughter in amazement. "You know that I'm just a drudge?"
Barla blinked; she had not realised how low born the girl was; but after all, hadn't the Lady T'lana been a drudge at Nabol Hold for a while? And Lady T'lana made being a redhead quite respectable, even if the Queenrider's glorious effulgent locks were a prettier shade than Barla's ginger!
"I knew you were sponsored on merit," she said. "Why, that probably makes you worthier of being here than the rest of us; your background isn't important!"
Tears of relief filled Marra's eyes.
"So when she said she'd tell you all if I didn't do as she told me, it was all just crackdust?" she asked.
Barla shrugged.
"I can't speak for how the others would feel, but a decent person, and especially a lady, is courteous to all, and takes them on their own merits," she said, adding a little to one of H'llon's maxims. "I know you were sponsored, 'cos Amrys said said I'd likely be closest to you in age and suggested I might look out for you as you're shy, 'cos I might like you better than the older ones." Barla sighed. "I don't feel I fit in with them, but you are so much younger than me! I guess if we're both lonely, we could be lonely at each other a bit?"
Marra smiled shyly.
"If … if you don't mind me being a drudge."
"Well, I guess we've got liking needlework in common to talk about," said Barla. "I don't know many drudges, only my personal drudge, but she's my old nurse and she bullies me something rotten."
Marra giggled.
"Well, I guess I won't be bullying you, My Lady," she said.
"Barla. No titles in here," said Barla, firmly. Her father would not expect her to behave any differently to a sponsored drudge than to a Queenrider in this situation!
Breda had no chance to get at Marra before supper; and after the meal, she was neatly outflanked by Amrys and Clareena, who had laid plans, and neatly extricated Marra with arms linked each side and an invitation to come and see their common room.
"It's against the rules for you girls to come in normally, but this is an invitation just to you, Marra," said Amrys, neatly forestalling the idea of Breda following. Marra found herself taken upstairs to a large, yet cosy room with its own, currently empty, fireplace, and upholstered chairs and poufs around little tables, and big cushions on the floor, on which a number of apprentices plumped themselves down. Amrys introduced the other girls and Jilamon, and her other closest friends; and promptly dismissed the boys from the 'girls' corner' which had a sofa and cushions around a low table, and an open set of shelves like a screen, in which the girls stowed their work.
"Girl talk!" Amrys said firmly. "Like, we were not happy about Breda; Clareena here recognises the type."
"She's a sly bully, isn't she?" said Clareena.
Marra stared, and then it all came tumbling out, how Breda meant to make her drudge for her.
"Well, I hope you've told her where to stick her daft ideas!" said Amrys. "That's blackmail! It's a crime, actually, did you know that?"
Marra shook her head.
Clareena linked an arm with her.
"Don't let Amrys bully you with kindness," she said. "She means well; but she's a little overwhelming until you get used to her. I took her all wrong at first; but she's really very nice."
"I … I can see that," said Marra.
"Oh good," said Clareena. "It's easier when you know that people really do mean well. I was the most awful little goop when I first came here because I was bullied most awf'lly badly before, and I was scared anyone forceful was like that too. This Breda seems a real tunnel snake!"
"She is," said Marra, miserably, "and she pinches, too."
"Huh, maybe we can give her some of her own medicine," said Amrys. "Marra, the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them; which is easier said than done, I know. But it's easier when you know you've got backing! Barla's all right, and so's Kelia, between mooing over boys like a lovelorn ovine, and wanting to dress like a grown-up of advanced turns. She has no taste, but that don't affect her morals. Whatserface, er, Indeela, she's fairly harmless, and so's Rulene. I've heard about her from weyr friends. She's as wet as a drying cloth dropped in the bathing pool, but kindly enough, even if she hasn't a clue. They won't care about your background, at least Indeela had better not, or her sister will box her ears and write to their father. You don't have to drudge for Breda; in fact you shouldn't. It's bad for both of you. Tell her to go ahead and tell tales. Defy her; you can, you know!"
There were murmurs of assent from the other girls.
"Do … do you really think that I can?" asked Marra.
"Yes; because you'll know us other apprentices are rooting for you. And you can't waste time drudging because you need to work hard, and we'll fix for you to be one of us if you can only prove to Master Lynger you deserve it by being good enough at more than just sewing," said Amrys, all in one breath. She knew that if someone was toldthat they could do something, it was often enough to give them the will to do it, even if Marra was horribly diffident. "Have you woven at all?" she added, having got her second wind.
Marra nodded.
"I've never done anything fancy, but I can change the gear on a table loom for linen or for wool, and I've woven from caprine wool on an upright loom," she said.
"Can you knit?" asked Kevanna.
"Yes, and crochet; and I know how to make tatted lace too," said Marra.
"Good kid, you're well away there, then," approved Amrys. "You hang in there; it's only temporary. And if you're behind in anything, us seniors will soon catch you up, so you make a good showing to Master Lynger. You have open invitation to visit us, and I suggest you keep your personal projects on our shelves in here too, so Breda can't damage them to punish you."
"Th … thanks," said Marra.
"Well, you might as well stay and get to know us better until bed time," said Kevanna. "No point giving the Breda creature any opportunity to make game of you. This is our hobby time; we can do work for ourselves, not necessarily weavercraft work. In fact, we're not supposed to do anything that is class work in hobby time, and we're on honour not to. We have time set aside to do work to earn with, but between supper and bedtime, we're supposed to relax. We spent a lot of the early part of the turn furbishing up our dormitory, but that was just for our pleasure. The boys over there are playing dragon poker, and we have asked permission to go outside for evening games if it's been too hot to go out in the day time. You can help us with our plaited rugs for our dormitory floor if you like, we're hoping to make one for each bed and a long runner for the middle before it gets cold again. Or you can just hang around and watch."
"I'd like to help; I don't like to be idle."
"Heh, then make sure you always have knitting or crochet or something to hand so Breda can't use that as an excuse – 'as you're not doing anything, you can ….' And so on – you know," said Amrys. " Not a 'will you, please,' to be seen with that type. Janika, you need to herringbone that; I'll show you."
The little girl was sewing clothes for her collection of wooden dolls; this one was a High Reaches cotholder's daughter. Amrys took the tiny scrap of fabric and demonstrated how to set the stitches. Janika smiled thanks, and set carefully to work, decorating the gay work apron that protected the clothes when milking.
Marra thought she was so sweet!
And they were all such friendly girls too, each one addressing comments to her, as well as to their other friends as they worked, some sewing strips together to add to the long plait, Clareena holding it taut while Bretine plaited, and Amrys deftly whipped the ends of new lengths to the ends of the strips being plaited.
Marra was almost disappointed when the gong sounded to announce bed time' and she went off to seek her bed quite happily!
oOo
"Where have you been?" hissed Breda.
"With the apprentices," said Marra, defiantly. "You heard them invite me."
Breda sneered.
"Felt more comfortable at your own level with the lowlife?" she asked.
"Well if you want to call Amrys, and a weyrbred girl, and a Master's granddaughter,and so on 'low life' then yes, I suppose so," said Marra.
Breda pushed her.
"Don't call Lady Amrys by name!" she said.
"I shall, so! It's what she wants, and I guess her wishes are more to me than yours!"
"Careful," Breda's eyes narrowed. "I'll tell!"
"Go on, then. Say whatever you want; I don't care who you tell what to!" said Marra, her heart beating painfully at her awful temerity.
"Guess I might at that. We'll give you a day or two to reflect on it," said Breda, taken aback, "see which side your bread is butteredin doing what I want."
"I guess if I did what you want, my bread would be on the floor, butter side down!" flashed Marra.
Breda slapped her.
The other girls stopped their chatter and looked over.
"Breda, will I report you, or will you submit to dormitory discipline?" asked Kelia, who had assumed leadership, which had not been disputedeven by the older Rulene, or the highly Ranking Barla.
"She insulted me!" snarled Breda.
"What did you say, Marra?" asked Kelia.
"I … I just said that if I did what she wanted, the side my bread was buttered was butterside down on the floor," said Marra.
Kelia laughed.
"Not so much an insult then as an opinion. Why should you do as she wants, after all! Breda? Dorm discipline?"
"You can't do anything to me," said Breda, sullenly.
"Want to bet?" said Kelia, softly. "We do not assault others, my girl; and I decree that you apologise to Marra now, and draw her hot water tomorrow as a material apology."
"Apologise to her? Are you joking?" Breda was horrified. "She's nothing but a …"
"She's a girl you've assaulted for no good reason," said Kelia. "Oh well …. Girls, you accept my Right as dormitory head?"
The others nodded, and Kelia went over, looked at Marra's face judiciously; and slapped Breda as close to as hard as she had hid Marra as the weyrbred girl could judge. Breda squealed indignantly.
"A blow for a blow, then, if you prefer not to act in a civilised manner," said Kelia. "You may not have had an upbringing to suit you to live with decent folk, but you'll get a rough upbringing from the rest of us to make you more able to live with us!"
Breda rubbed her face resentfully. And yet, a part of her accepted the right of the weyrbred to hit commons, even if she did resent it. And if truth were known, she preferred to take a slap than have the humiliation of apologising to a girl she despised!
Otaysa's head came round the door.
"Girls! You're ratherloud, and there are little girls trying to sleep next door! And it's time you were in bed too; you older ones may chat quietly for half an hour, if you don't disturb Marra and Breda. Any trouble?"
"Nothing we can't handle, thank you, Otaysa," said Kelia, calmly.
Otaysa gave her a look.
"I see," she said.
Kelia thought she probably did see; there was that about Otaysa that reminded Kelia of Pilgra!
oOo
The paying students were given their money's worth. They were kept too busy for Breda to make herself obnoxious to Marra, for even in their recreation periods they were supervised! Otaysa had no intention of letting trouble start; and Kelia's unspoken warning prompted her to take a closer view of the girls until she had sorted out who might be the troublemaker.
Moreover, Marra was firmly drawn into the ranks of the apprentices in their leisure time, asked to make up a seven-a-side kabaddi team with the girls, playing against the naughty trio, plus Jilamon, Nelon, Tirley and Jerellan. Jerellan's health had improved so much that he was glad to play games that had been denied him so long!
Marra enjoyed herself; holding hands with the others to try to catch a raider and prevent him getting back to his side before his breath ran out and he had to stop chanting 'kabaddi, kabaddi' to prove he held his breath, and retreating.
Marra was caught herself, and pulled over the line by Jeral and Kyilin raiding, despite the shrieking efforts of the other girls to drag her back, and then she must sit out, and a point went to the boys!
The score was never closely kept; it was played for fun, not like the Hold Championships at Major Gathers. And it was fun! A lot more fun than walking about sedately chatting like the older girls, who pretended to despise such childishness, but came to cheer the girls on anyway!
Breda was scowling! How dare Marra enjoy herself so, and with Lady Holder Amrys at that! It was intolerable! Breda had not considered that Amrys had chosen to extract Marra and make a friend of her.
Breda lay in wait for Amrys, on the way back to the Hall.
"Oh, Amrys, I must just have a word with you!" she said.
"Must you?" said Amrys, raising an eyebrow. It was a skill she had been practising since Turnover, and she had finally perfected it – and it was an even more useful accomplishment than being able to wiggle her ears!
"Oh yes, I must!" said Breda, trying to sound earnest. "You see, you might be under a misapprehension about the girl, Marra."
"Indeed?" Amrys asked, coolly.
"Yes, she may be being paid for, but it's only to give her more skills as a sewing drudge. She's nothing but a fatherless drudge girl, you know."
"Yes, I already knew that," said Amrys. "And what is the point of this poisonous little whisper of yours? To try to make me look ill-bred enough to drop a friend on the grounds of her birth? I'm not so ill-bred, you know, I was raised to be a lady. You, however, are ill-bred; pinching and slapping like one of Meron's fancy pieces, boasting about the cost of your clothing, and generally behaving with all the manners of a wherry-kite let loose with a choice piece of carrion to delve in! If you want to learn to be a lady to go with your new-found wealth, I suggest you look deeper in yourself than fine clothes, which do not a lady make. Manners make the man, (… you know, and until you learn that, I don't want to talk to you again, because you disgust me. As well as being a criminal." Amrys began to turn her back.
"I'm not a criminal!"
"No? threateningsomeone with consequences if they don't do what you want is called blackmail, and Lord Deckter chains people out during Fall for that," said Amrys, coldly, and turned on her heel to stride away.
She left a suddenly shocked and frightened girl!
