311 - Results of the Vodai

Dear Elder Brother,

I have found out that our missing relative might be in Arko... perhaps even the city itself.  I will renew my search there and report to the family shortly.

My journey from Haiu Menshir was somewhat delayed by storm, a minor illness and pirates, however I shall be posting this letter from Anoseth as soon as the ship docks.

In duty,

Joras Enkasas, fessas

2^nd Amitzas crumpled the letter and tossed it in his fire.  “Wife!”  He called.

“Yes, husband?”

“Prepared the women to move tonight.”

“Yes, husband.”

**

I was in a group of Dyers in Presentation Square, with Ili on his skates as well.  Gannara was somewhere about... possibly hanging around with a girl from Tall Grass Alley, one of Gian’s people.  She was pretty enough in a dark way but he and I had talked about girls on our various travels and she was much more his kind of girl than mine.  Even if I thought of girls at all.

I thought maybe I might be spared that nonsense any more.  Gannara hadn’t caught me indulging that even in my sleep lately.  Though I hated getting the sheets sticky, I was at least able to keep a lot of those perverse dreams more private.

The crowd was almost as festive as a pre-Jitz party... sausage sellers doing brisk business next to beer sellers and a fellow with a waist-tray and a row of wine bottles jingling... “Peanuts!  Sweet wine!”

I bought Ili a paper cone of fanilas flavoured ice shavings and chilled melon spheres.  I had my drum and we made sure that the Sera Eren and her enormous cat on his leash had a good place.  “Sinimas... I hardly need to ‘see’,” she said snippily and I laughed.  I had been to play for her on the boardwalk almost every day. “I merely need to hear well and I can do that from here.”

‘Here’ was at the edge of the ruin made to make way for the monstrous statue.  All work had been suspended on it since Chevenga’s coming out against it, but the boards still stood... now covered with good, bad, indifferent and Banaksias’s chalkwork.  People had set up informal benches before some of them and I had settled Sera Eren on one of these, Ribbons at her feet.

“And we truly have no good sight-line but the Presentation Platform offers enough of a sound-line.”

Ribbons sprawled over my skates and growled and clawed at Ili’s.  He giggled and dropped JiaKlem on the cat.  Everyone froze and Jia nibbled on Ribbons and the cat pretended to shred Jia into seafood.

“ARKO!  ARKO! ARKO!  HEAR THE RESULTS OF YOUR VODAI!”

The whole crowd quieted and turned our attention to the herald on the platform.

___________________________

Sorry for the short post, guys, but having a wheel fall off the vehicle has thrown me off... more later...