Chapter 8

There were workmen laying tile in what would soon be a functional kitchen. From her table in the garden, Rose could hear the muffled sound of their voices mingling with music from the radio Atash had recently purchased for the lobby. A popular tune was playing at the moment, one of those insipidly catchy songs that get stuck in your head. Rose found it just a little annoying and was half-tempted to ask Atash to change the station. But when it reached the chorus, Rose could hear Atash and the workmen joining in. They sang loudly in Ishvalan and then burst out laughing, leading Rose to believe that they had made up their own words, very likely something bawdy. Rose smiled to herself, her peace of mind restored, although she wondered what some of these young men's elders might think.

Her vacation was about halfway over now, not yet at the point where she had to start thinking about packing up. She definitely wasn't ready for that. She was enjoying herself too much, more than she ever thought she would. She had yet another dinner invitation for this evening, this one from Pashmina's aunt Nenya, which surprised Rose a little, considering they'd met only once. Atash said it was Pashmina's idea, but Auntie Nenya was all for it. Atash also remarked that Rose simply had a way about her.

The ringing clip-clop of hooves could be heard from the street side of the hotel. Rose glanced with mild curiosity toward the door that led out into the garden, then returned to her paper. She tapped her chin lightly with her pencil and scowled as she considered the clue for 17-down of that day's crossword. Too buoyant to be ironed twice? You always had to be careful about clues that ended with a question mark. It was usually some type of silly pun or something. A few minutes later, Atash stepped out into the garden, followed by the tagma officer, Captain Kaihan. He was not in uniform, dressed in casual Ishvalan clothing and boots and wearing a boyish grin. Rose looked back at 17-down and wrote in irrepressible.

"You've got a visitor, Zhaarana Rose," Atash announced.

Rose put down her copy of the Ishval Courier. "So I see. Good morning, Captain!" she greeted him.

Kaihan spread his hands to indicate his manner of dress. "I'm off duty today, Zhaarana. It's just Kaihan."

"Well, then, it's just Rose." She looked past Kaihan to Atash. "Really, that goes for you, too, Atash."

The young man shook his head with solemn dignity. "Oh, I couldn't do that. Zhaarad Shua wouldn't like it."

Rose sighed and shrugged. "Okay. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble." She turned back to Kaihan. "Would you like some tea or something?"

"I wouldn't say no." Kaihan sat at the table with her. "I did hurry over here."

"Could you get another cup, please, Atash?" Rose asked.

Atash almost looked like he didn't quite approve, and he turned to go back inside with a slight shake of his head. Rose propped her chin on her hand and smiled at the captain.

"So what made you hurry over here?"

Kaihan gave a meek little duck to his head. "Well, firstly, I came to apologize."

Rose's eyebrows went up. "Why? What did you do?"

"You must have thought I was being awfully forward when I spoke to you at Havoc's yesterday," Kaihan explained.

Rose laughed easily. "It's all right. It was very flattering."

Kaihan grew just a little serious. "That's as may be, Zha—" He caught himself and grinned. "—Rose. If I spoke to an Ishvalan girl like that, I'd hear about it, from her father or her auntie or her baata or her brother. I shouldn't have taken advantage because you're Amestrian."

Rose hid a smile and drew herself up indignantly. "Captain Kaihan! Are you implying that Amestrians are women of easy virtue?"

Kaihan looked horrified and he quickly waved his hands. "No, no! I didn't—oh, no, Zhaarana, I didn't mean that at all!"

Rose laughed. "I'm sorry! I was just teasing you." She patted his arm reassuringly. "I understand what you mean. I don't have a father or an auntie or a brother or anyone that you have to worry about." She gave a thoughtful little twist of her mouth. "I do have an overprotective boss, but he's not here."

Kaihan relaxed and sat back with a sheepish grin. Then he said, "What about Zhaarad Stanno?"

"Um…what about him?"

Kaihan spoke a little cautiously. "You have been keeping company with him. Well," he added, with a little lift of his shoulders. "Sort of."

"Yes, sort of," Rose agreed. "I would like to think we've become friends." She felt a reluctance to admit to anything beyond that—to someone else, at least.

Kaihan looked even more relieved. "Ah, well. The thing is, I wanted to catch you before Zhaarad Stanno was up and about. Which he isn't, by the way," he added, with a pleased little smirk.

Rose felt compelled to defend the carpenter. "Well, when you're self-employed, you can pretty much set your own hours."

"It's all right for some," Kaihan conceded offhandedly. "But that being the case," he went on, leaning forward with an eager expression, "I came to see if you would care to go for a ride around Ishval."

"A ride?" Rose asked, surprised. "You mean, on a horse?"

Kaihan nodded. "I brought along one of the horses from the tagma stables."

"I…I don't know. I haven't been on a horse in, well, not since I was about twelve," Rose replied.

Kaihan waved his hand. "Yushia's a well-mannered mare," he said. "She won't give you any trouble at all."

Rose hesitated. Kaihan was certainly a polite, likeable fellow. There was no reason for her to have any reservations about accepting his invitation. So where was that tiny niggling doubt coming from?

"Um…are you sure it's all right for me to be riding a…a government-issue horse?" She knew that wasn't where the doubt was coming from.

Kaihan shook his head, dismissing her worries. "Yushia is my second string mount. I need to make sure she gets exercise." He reached out and took one of Rose's hands and gazed at her imploringly. "Please say you'll come! I was hoping you'd take pity on a lonely fellow who's got a day off and nobody to spend it with!"

His look was so winsome that Rose had to laugh, completely won over. "Oh, well, if it's a mission of mercy, how could I say no!"

After changing into an old pair of trousers and some stout shoes she brought for hiking, she met Kaihan in front of the hotel. He gave her a leg up into the saddle, and while he was mounting his other horse, Rose glanced across the street at the wooden doors of Stanno's workshop, relieved that they were still closed.

Rose didn't think she was doing anything reprehensible. Yes, she and Stanno had become friends. She'd known him for a total of three days. Yes, she liked him. She wasn't quite sure why, but she did. He was hiding quite a lot about himself, she was sure, some maybe not so good, but some that could be quite good. She wasn't entirely sure yet what he thought of her, but he probably liked her, too, which was why she was glad he wasn't seeing her sneak off with someone else.

No, I'm not sneaking! I'm going on a perfectly normal, harmless outing with a perfectly normal, harmless man on a perfectly normal, harmless horse. I don't need to feel guilty!

She still would rather get going. "Lead on, Kaihan!"

It wasn't until they'd nearly gotten to the end of the street before one of the door panels of Stanno's workshop was lifted away. Rose didn't see the gaze following her that started out as shocked and grew morose.

They turned the corner and Stanno continued to glare down the street, the door panel gripped in his hands. By this time he finally leaned the panel against the inside wall, his expression had gone stony and indifferent.

8888

"I didn't realize what a big place Ishval is," Rose said as they rode through the northern edge of Kanda.

"It's bigger than it was before the war," Kaihan said. "We've been able to spread out more since we came back, even though there are fewer of us. Then again," he added with a smile, "since we came back, there are more of us."

"I sure have seen a lot of babies being carried around," Rose agreed.

"Well, then," Kaihan said, "what would you like to see today?"

Rose thought for a moment. "What part of Ishval do you come from?"

"From Lejia," Kaihan replied. "On the eastern side. After Gunja, it's the smallest of the districts."

"All right then. Let's go there!"

Kaihan made a slight grimace and shrugged. "Well, there's not much to it, really…"

"No?" Rose considered him with surprise. "I'd have thought you'd be proud of your home."

"Oh, I am," Kaihan replied with only minimal enthusiasm.

It seemed as though he was hiding something, and Rose had had enough of that with Stanno. "Oh, come on!" she coaxed. "You make it sound like a dump."

"No, no, it isn't!" Kaihan said quickly. "I mean…it's all right."

"Then I'd like to take a look." Rose smiled sweetly. "If you don't mind."

Kaihan flashed a game smile back at her. "For you, I'd be happy to."

They passed through Gunja and crossed into Lejia. Despite Kaihan's statement to the contrary, Lejia had just as much picturesque charm as anywhere else in Ishval. Its marketplace was just as busy and had its own blend of vendors' chants. There were several weavers along the artisans' row, and Rose made a mental note to come back and buy one of the rugs that were on display.

They moved on through a residential area, and Rose looked around at the houses painted in various shades of off-white and sandy rose.

"Which house is yours, Kaihan?"

Kaihan pointed vaguely behind him. "That one back there. The one with the bushes in the front.

Rose turned in her saddle and looked over her shoulder. She spotted the house with mounding bougainvillea on either side of the front door, covered in dark pink bracts. It looked like a nicely cared-for home, nothing to be ashamed of.

"Aren't we going to stop?" Rose asked. "I'd like to meet your family."

"They won't be there," Kaihan said quickly. He hesitated for a brief moment, then added, "They'll be out in the brush with…uh…with the goats." The last few words he mumbled.

"Oh, that's right! Pashmina mentioned that you raise goats."

"I used to," Kaihan said firmly. "But when the khorovar asked for some able young men to join the tagma, I jumped at the chance. I mean, goats are clever enough, and they provide us with meat and milk, wool and skin." He shook his head. "But it's the same thing, day after day, year after year. I just couldn't see myself standing around watching goats eat for the rest of my life. I wanted to do something more…" He grimaced in search of the right word.

"Romantic?" Rose suggested.

Kaihan turned to her with a bit of a self-conscious grin. "I suppose so. I was going to say exciting, but I suppose it's the same thing."

"And is it?"

"It's a damn sight better that tending goats!" Kaihan replied emphatically. He took on a proud look. "And folks look up to me!"

Well, you're on a horse, Rose nearly said, but she just smiled. "So where do you keep your goats—sorry!—where does your family keep their goats?"

"In the scrubland just outside of town." Kaihan jerked his chin in a roughly easterly direction. "Goats can eat just about anything, you know."

"Can we go out there?" Rose asked.

Kaihan glanced at her, a hint of reluctance on his face. "Did you really want to?"

Rose shrugged. "Well, it'd be a nice ride, wouldn't it? Please?"

Kaihan gave a quiet sigh. "I suppose."

He turned down a side street and led the way toward the outer edge of Lejia. The houses thinned out to desert landscape, which was lush in its own way, a collection of plants that could thrive where more familiar vegetation could not. They didn't need to go far before Rose could hear bleating and the light, tinny clinking of bells.

They skirted through a winding dry wash that made a channel through meskaa trees and oddly shaped, somewhat lethal-looking cactus. Presently, they reached a wide, open area that was full of a variety of weeds like spurge and broom. Happily feasting on this otherwise useless vegetation was a sizeable herd of shaggy goats. Flanking the animals were several people plus a couple of black and white dogs, who seemed to be guards rather than herders. They stood at the humans' sides, listening attentively to the surrounding area. Their heads turned in unison with their humans as Kaihan and Rose entered the clearing.

A fortyish man with a short beard raised his hands in greeting.

"Well, now, look who it is! Our hero!"

The others chuckled lightly, and Kaihan's mouth twisted into something between a smile and an embarrassed grimace. "Uncle…" he muttered in greeting.

"Eh-h! And who's this with you?" Kaihan's uncle went on, moving around the goats toward Rose. "You must be the Amestrian lady we've been hearing about! Doishteve!" he said with a grin.

"Thank you," Rose replied.

A woman joined Uncle at his side. "What may we call you, Zhaarana?" she asked.

"Rose Thomas."

Remembering his manners, Kaihan spoke up. "Rose, this is my Uncle Fahran and my Aunt Hasti. And over there, that's my cousin Marwa," he said, pointing to a young girl of about twelve who was scratching the ears of a goat that was pushing up against her, begging for attention. She gave Rose a shy smile.

Kaihan then pointed to a teenage boy wearing a red bandana around his head. "That's Rik. He's been living with us since his djaari went to Ishvala's bosom. His grandfather," Kaihan added at Rose's slightly questioning look.

"Hello!" Rik called with a wave and a gap-toothed smile.

Uncle Fahran beckoned to them. "Well, why don't you come down here and sit a while. We'll be having our midday meal soon. You should join us!"

"Oh, that would be—"

"Ah, sorry, Uncle!" Kaihan said quickly. "I promised Rose a tour, so we can't stay long."

Aunt Hasti sighed. "Well, of course, if you're that busy…" She used that particular guilt-inflicting tone that transcended cultural boundaries.

Kaihan shrugged helplessly. "Zhaarana Rose will be needing to get back to Kanda in good time to have supper with Zhaarana Koshan."

Rose was about to say that she didn't need that much time, but Rik, whose grin had widened somewhat, called out, "Ai, Kaihan! You sure you don't want to stay? Bemba misses you!" he added slyly.

As if in reply, one of the does, her sides wide with pregnancy, lifted her head and bleated loudly in Kaihan's direction. Kaihan gave a wan half smile at the laughter from his aunt and uncle, and his cousin giggled behind her hand.

Encouraged, Rik continued. "We figure she's carrying twins! You must be so proud!"

Fahran and Hasti laughed even louder. Kaihan gave Rik a furious glare and growled something in Ishvalan, which didn't seem to perturb the boy in the slightest. Kaihan looked back at his uncle and aunt, who were still laughing.

"We have to be going now," he announced stiffly. "I'll see you tonight."

"That's all right," Fahran said with a wave and a chuckle. "You two run along. I'll explain things to Bemba."

This elicited another round of laughter, and Kaihan reined his horse around to leave the clearing. Rose gave the goatherds a quick apologetic smile, which they managed to acknowledge through the hilarity, and she turned to follow Kaihan. He had already gone ahead, and it took Rose a few minutes to catch up with him. When she did fall in behind him through the narrow dry wash, she could tell by the set of his shoulders that he was still angry. Then he glanced over his shoulder at her, giving her a darkly rueful look.

"Sorry about all that," he grumbled.

"Maybe I'm the one who should apologize," Rose replied. "I sort of pushed you into it."

Kaihan shook his head. "No, it's not your fault. I didn't think they'd go on like that if I brought someone to meet them, but I should have known better." He fumed silently for a few moments, then burst out, "They never take me seriously! I don't care if our family's raised goats since the beginning of stinking time!"

"I'm sure they must be very proud of you."

"If they are, they've yet to tell me!" Kaihan shot back. "Uncle says I'm giving myself airs. Auntie says Ishvalans are decent, God-fearing folk and we don't need police. I tell them that's not the point!"

"No, I understand—"

"And even when Khorovar Andakar chose me as captain, do you think they'd be impressed? No! All I got was 'isn't that nice' and not much since!"

"Well, maybe they-"

"And of course they have to keep going on about that damn goat!" Kaihan groaned. "The stupid thing would always follow me around and everybody thought it was so funny! I can't wait for that damn thing to die!"

"Oh, now, it's not that—"

Kaihan turned to her, suddenly anxious. "You won't tell anybody, will you? I mean, they probably joke about it with their friends, but…I mean…it'd be different if it came from you."

Rose gave him a puzzled look. "How so? I hope it's not because I'm Amestrian. We're really not that different, you know."

"No, it's not that. I just…" Kaihan grimaced self-consciously. "I wouldn't want folks to think that you thought poorly of me."

Rose didn't think her opinion held that much sway. She also considered what a burden a fragile male ego must be. Keeping these thoughts to herself, she replied patiently, "I don't think poorly of you, Kaihan, and I would never say anything to give anyone that impression." She gave him an encouraging smile. "Now cheer up, okay?"

Kaihan managed a smile in return. "Sorry. I'm not being very good company."

Rose waved a hand. "Don't even worry about it!" Then she added, "You're a nice guy, Kaihan, and nobody can make you feel bad about yourself unless you let them."

Kaihan considered this with a nod, and his boyish grin returned. "Now there's a truth!"

By the time they left Lejia, Kaihan had recovered his good humor. His bruised ego was further soothed by people waving to him as they passed by, acknowledging him as the tagma officer rather than a former goatherd with family issues.

They stopped in the district of Maazra for lunch, then rode out to the fields where the harvest was being gathered. What had been a sea of waving heads of millet and barley had been mowed. Other fields were green with a new growth of rye, which would mature through the mild Ishvalan winter. Kaihan coaxed Rose into speeding up into a canter, and for a while they followed the paths that crisscrossed through the fields. Rose hadn't done anything like this since she was a kid, and it was fun to have the wind whipping through her hair as Yushia carried her at a smooth pace.

Eventually, Kaihan had to get his horses back to the stables, so they rode back to Kanda. They reached the front of the Desert Dove, and Kaihan dismounted to help Rose slide down from her saddle.

"Thanks for such a nice time," Rose said.

"Ah, it was my pleasure," Kaihan replied. "I'll see you at the festival, won't I?"

"Definitely! I'm not going to miss that."

Kaihan gave her a nod and a grin. "Until then!" He swung up on his horse and with a final wave, he rode off, leading Yushia. Rose watched him for a few moments, then turned to look across the street. Sitting with his back to the street, Stanno was bending over one of his cedar chests, applying a coat of varnish. He hadn't looked up when they arrived or acknowledged her presence at all. He may simply have been engrossed in his work. She walked up to the front of the workshop and peered over Stanno's shoulder.

"That cedar's such a nice, warm color," she remarked, mainly because she felt like she ought to say something.

Stanno took a moment to reply, and when he did, it was not much more than a grunt.

That didn't bode well, but Rose remained undaunted. "Will you be able to get them shipped in time?"

"If you left me the hell alone, I might."

Rose flinched at the harshness in Stanno's tone. "Excuse me?"

Stanno's brush paused only briefly. "I'm busy!"

Rose felt a rising exasperation. "Look, if this has anything to do with me going riding with—"

With a brittle patience, Stanno set his brush down across the top of the varnish can and stood up to face Rose with an unwelcoming glower. "I don't give half a rat's ass what you do or who you do it with! You can canter all the way back to Liore if you like! I have work to do!"

Rose stared at him. She was almost as bewildered as she was shocked. Nothing she had done could possibly warrant such hostility.

When she could finally manage a reply, she demanded, "Stanno, what is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Stanno echoed with a short, bitter laugh. "Surely our beloved khorovar and his perfect wife must have told you everything that's wrong with me! So why don't we just stop wasting each other's time, all right?"

Stanno abruptly turned his back and reached down for his brush, leaving Rose to stare at him, openmouthed. Then, in a sudden burst of fury and frustration, she clutched at her head, gripping a couple of handfuls of hair.

"What is with you men?" she burst out in a strangled scream. She glared at Stanno's back, then gave him a shove, which only elicited a glare over his shoulder. "Listen, you! I can form my own opinions, thank you! I don't need anyone else to tell me what an asshole you are! And just for the record, nobody did, all right?" Rose threw her hands up in the air. "So have a nice life!"

Stanno spun around to stare at her, and he began to open his mouth to speak, but she had already turned and was storming back across the street to the hotel. She didn't want to see the look on his face. She hadn't spoken like that to anyone in a very long time and it left her a bit shaken. She felt justified that Stanno had it coming to him, but she wasn't entirely happy about being the one to deliver it.

"Eh-h, Zhaarana! What was that all about?"

Rose looked up with a start to see Atash regarding her with concern from the reception desk, and she could feel her cheeks go suddenly hot. "Just a…" she began, then shook her head and mumbled, "Nothing."

Atash raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Well, that was quite a bit of nothing, if you ask me."

Rose let out a weary sigh. "Nothing worth repeating."

Atash nodded but he still watched her. "Are you going to be all right?" he asked, giving her the impression that he knew exactly what was going on.

"Yeah, I suppose so," Rose said with a glum shrug. "When does Pashmina's aunt want us over?"

"Oh, not for a good hour, hour and a half or so," Atash replied. He tilted his head a little. "Are you sure you want to go?"

"Yes," Rose said firmly. "Yes, I do. I want to spend time with some normal people. But right now I'm going to go upstairs and take a bath and wash everything out of my hair."

Atash shook his head and chuckled to himself as Rose headed up the stairs. "You do that, Zhaarana."