Detours Never Work

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Kel was walking steadily towards the escape, but a familiar form stopped her. Yuki. She was resplendent in a dark green kimono and silver obi, with her shukusen tucked in. "Now who was that? I have only met your sisters Adalia and Oranie."

"Conal," Kel said quietly and Yuki nodded slightly. Though during her time in the islands Keladry had been stoic about her emotions, as a good Yamani, some things had slipped. She had been bullied by her brother as a child. It seemed that Conal still hadn't come to favor his youngest sibling.

"Come spend time with Neal and I," Yuki demanded with crinkling eyes.

With a small sigh Kel followed her friend, who had been called bossy before by her own fiancée, back into the room. "I suppose I have to stay here to do dignity to the dress," she commented wryly.

"Of course. Ahh here we are," she said as they threaded through the throngs of people and found themselves looking at a table where Neal sat.

"Ahh Kel, you were lovely up there. Did I detect male eyes following you," he teased his best friend. At her glare his way he realized that the bad mood had not dissipated but instead grown worse. "Bee in your bonnet?"

"Conal's here," she mumbled into her glass of cider. Neal picked his own up with a querying glance. She'd never told him much about Conal. "My brother. He … is a bit conservative. And he's drunk."

Now Neal scowled. Kel had had to fight so hard to gain respect as a knight. She'd knocked so many conservatives off their horses in jousting, while losing every so often herself, had fought centaurs and spidrens, and still there would be people who didn't respect her. Apparently she'd not even had an easy time at home; her brothers, who had not gone to the Yamani islands, were not completely progressive.

Anders was kind enough, Neal knew, and Inness wasn't without hope. He'd been Cleon's knight-master and so Neal knew he wasn't totally for women warriors but thought if they worked that hard for it there was no point to stopping them.

The three sat there for a while, Neal with a few plots flicking behind his emerald eyes.

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Dom had stayed near Conal, listening to him banter about his littlest sister. His temper was not precisely even, listening to it. He clutched his glass of wine, on his way to becoming as drunk as Conal.

The bride and groom had disappeared together, having accepted congratulations from many. Dom figured that they would be found nearby, in each others' arms, allowing people to come up to them in smaller groups. This was confirmed when Wolset found him.

"Milord is asking why you haven't shown up in his office yet. Just about everyone else has, except Kel. Oh and I suppose some of the knights and the female Riders who showed up. Not a lot of female interaction up here, eh?" Wolset realized that Dom wasn't listening but was staring at a man in the same colors Kel wore when she was dressed up fancy lately. He suspected they were her house colors.

His face went purple as he listened.

"Dumb chit! Comes back with our parents from the barbarians' land, my own sister! She comes back and, hic, doesn't show her feelings anymore! She thinks all women should be warriors and able to defend themselves. Cares about the lowliest servant. I mean yeah, I suppose some women can fight, but they should? No! Get me another drink," he called out to a squire attached to one of his buddies.

"Conal I really don't recommend it," said the knight across from him.

"Get me another drink," he growled. "I remember our page years. Don't you? All those first-years giving us lip. She gave me lip too, when she was a kid. Held her over a balcony I did. She screamed like mad. They say she doesn't scream now though. Too bad. I'd love to teach her a lesson, remind her whose the boss. Told her I didn't remember bullying her, tried to encourage her to think herself a liar. She is! She is a liar, she's got to be. She's ugly and all those men gather around her---"

Dom and Wolset didn't know that somebody else had joined them in their angry listening. "What shall we do about him," whispered Neal's voice coldly.

His older cousin and his corporal looked up at Neal. All three were agreed. Sir Conal must not speak about his sister that way. "I'm gonna take him outside and pummel him," growled the corporal.

"Bad plan Wolset. He's a knight. He's fought in two wars now. Although he is drunk," Dom whispered.

"So are both of you," Neal stated.

"And you're not," demanded Dom. Neal smirked. As a mage he reacted poorly to alcohol and only drank cider. Sometimes he wondered what about Kel made her react so badly to alcohol; she had no magic, but whenever she drank it in the tiniest quantities she ended up with headaches. He supposed she just might have no tolerance. Suited her really.

"Confrontation is the best course, take him outside and threaten him to back off. Catch him when he heads to the privy. He's drunk enough he'll need a trip soon."

"Shhh, he's getting up," Wolset announced quietly.

Conal was getting up and heading towards the door. Neal frowned. Kel's table was that way too. Dom turned and looked him in the eye and Neal realized Dom knew that too. He had ignored Kel all night, not looking at her, yet he knew exactly where she was. Neal pushed that thought aside, to file away to ponder later,

"Let's follow him, but not too closely. If Kel notices she'll be angry," Dom said. Neal winced, "Too late. She's been in a foul mood all day."

"No sh.." Dom broke off. Of course she had been angry, he'd been ignoring his friend. 'I guess I need to make things right,' he thought.

They crept slowly up on Conal, but then he stopped and turned to face Yuki and Kel. The men realized their plan was too late. Kel stood as Conal spoke to her.

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"Oh here you are hiding cow," Conal greeted his sister using his wife's nickname for her. Actually all of Kel's sisters-in-law called her that among themselves. "Here I was thinking you'd gone and found a child to adopt since you'll never have a family."

Kel put her drained cider glass down with a thunk. She stood, her mask firmly in place, but for her eyes gazing coldly at Conal. She would never break down in front of him more than she had earlier. This time she was prepared and forced her emotions down. Her fist was slightly clenched by her side though and her heart felt like breaking.

"Engaging in gossip now are you? Here I'd have thought you'd have gone crying home to lecture your sons about the evils of women," she spat out at him.

Conal took a leering step towards her and punched at her face. Kel caught his fist and spun him around, knocking him to his feet. Yuki had stood up too and looked down upon her friend's brother. "Cider Keladry?"

"Please," she said gracefully, taking the glass and pouring it over her brothers head. Only then did she pay attention to the silence in the room, and that Neal, Dom and Wolset were standing nearby.

She nodded to her audience and suggested to Yuki in Yamani that she detain Neal. She didn't want his questions.

Then she fled the room, as she'd wanted to since she'd first seen Conal, since Dom had shown no interest in her even to tease her about the dress. She walked quickly, the blue dress that reminded her so much of Dom's eyes and his uniform, and soon found herself outside in the practice yards with no weapon.

The hem of her dress was dragging in slush, and snow fell down on her hair and body, chilling her instantly. The first snow is no colder, even if it melts on the ground, than the worst snows of the season.

A noise sounded behind her.