A Holiday by Decree
~~ Day 6 ~~
After their morning outing, Tyrion and Sansa retired to their rooms, as was becoming their daily habit. This was usually when they would bathe again to get refreshed from the early day heat and escape the hottest hours under the midday sun in the cool of their respective salons.
Having grown up in the North, where it was cold even in the summer, Sansa had never bathed so much in her life. Though when she soaked in the relaxing waters of the big tub, she thought she could get used to it.
After the bath, she relaxed for a while with another book from the library, a thin volume, but also a rare find of short fairy tales collected from an adventurer who claimed to have returned from Yi Ti. The tales, while odd, were engrossing, but as she read, she also could not help looking up and glancing with a smile at the large collection of lovely shells she and Tyrion had collected in the morning.
Most of the shells were in a range of colors from cream to rosy pink to rich maple browns, while some were even a bit pearlescent. Sansa had felt shy at first, not wanting to seem childish, as she quietly admired each shell she found, thinking it better than the last, until Tyrion began showing her his finds.
Soon they were taking turns comparing shells, deciding which ones to keep and which to throw back; sometimes they both decided to keep what they found, and so Tyrion had carried back the vast collection of shells in his bag. Now their shells lay out drying on the low table in Sansa's room, spread over Tyrion's handkerchief which he had wrapped them in for her. They were already Sansa's favorite souvenirs of her holiday.
When her lady's maid entered, she helped Sansa dress for the afternoon. They were becoming friendly, and Sansa now knew her name was Hirat. She enjoyed looking through her wardrobe with the slight, shy younger woman. Together, they selected one of her silver pendant necklaces, a silver wolf bust with a metallic vine design. Then Sansa stepped into another chiffon affair, a burgundy a-line she herself had designed with bouncy ruffles blossoming from the elbow length sleeves, shoulders, and the very slightly daring v-neckline that just barely revealed the top of her bust. The girl was just finishing pinning Sansa's half up-do, a thin braid that sweetly encircled the crown of her head, when a knock came at the door.
It was the housekeeper, Jesa. Sansa had spoken with Jesa a bit following her and Tyrion's experience in the aviary. The woman often wore a serious look, though she would smile when spoken to. She was slight, like Hirat, but likely in her late 30s, and Sansa had thought she seemed like a wife or a mother.
Jesa approached Sansa, lowering her head respectfully. "My Lady, I wondered if I may please request a bit of your time," she said.