"A Touch of the Mother's Comfort"

Log Date:
	2/12/00, 2/13/00

Log Cast:
	Kerani, Faanshi

Log Intro:
	Since her beloved heart-mother died, Faanshi cannot remember a time
when she has been more miserable... and in a way her current grief is almost
worse than the loss of her old kinswoman Ulima, for this person who is lost 
to her now is still alive. The Arch-magus Samein has not died -- but he has 
turned against her, and the young halfbreed is taking no comfort from the
knowledge that she has done the right thing in adhering to the wishes of her
mistress, and not allowing one who has distanced himself from the Children
of Fire to control her actions.
	She takes no comfort from it, for although Samein has turned against
her, Faanshi had considered him almost like a grandfather.
	And thus, heart-sore and troubled, the shudra healer girl has spent
the last several days in anguished silent passage through her usual duties
about Atesh-Gah. Upon this particular morning, she has ventured as close 
as she dares to the one place within the Varati citadel that brings her
a measure of peace. But she is not as far from comfort as she believes 
herself...
 
*===========================< In Character Time >===========================*
             Time of day:  Morning
          Date on Aether:  Friday, January 7, 3906.
           Year on Earth:  1506 A.D. 
       Phase of the Moon:  Waning Gibbous
                  Season:  Winter
                 Weather:  Partly Cloudy
             Temperature:  Chilly
*==========================================================================*

Fountain - Courtyard - Atesh-Gah - Haven
      Concealed within the ring of tall, carefully groomed bushes and the 
  oddly comforting sight of droop-branched willows, is the merry and gurgling 
  presence of a marble fountain. As meticulously cleaned as the rest of 
  Atesh-Gah seems to be, the intricate stonework deceptively simple in 
  appearance. Perhaps ten feet across, the fountain itself is filled with 
  clear, cool water that bubbles forth from a raised pedestal in the centre of 
  the great circle. 
      Carefully tended gardens of bright flowers provide a colourful trim to 
  the circle of trees, their combined scent filling the air with a subtle and 
  sweet fragrance. The temptation to linger here and bask in the soothing 
  feast of the senses is only increased by the presence of the four stone 
  benches that are placed around the fountain. 
     You notice, through the thick greenery of bushes and ferns, a small 
  clearing to the north.
Obvious exits:
Courtyard <C>

Kerani carefully slips into the area about the fountain from the 
  mostly-concealed pathway to the north.
Kerani has arrived.

That pathway to the north... Faanshi knows it, and she's traversed it a number 
  of times herself. But today the girl has not dared to venture to the shrine 
  of Ushas, though she's been up since the dawn to greet the sun's rising as 
  has always been her way, and she's murmured prayers to the Holy Mother of 
  the Hawk of Heaven in her heart. Now, though, she's not watching that path. 
  Instead, the young shudra is sitting alone at the edge of the fountain, 
  gazing pensively into the water that's eluded freezing due to the assiduous 
  work of fire-mages and its own flowing.

Kerani adjusts her leyang about her as she continues on her path, which takes 
  her toward the fountain. Seeing that someone else is already making use of 
  the fountain to focus her thoughts. She doesn't recognize the other woman by 
  her features, and certainly not by her clothing. She quietly nods her head 
  in greeting.

A woman of the Varati, by breeding and custom, is hardly likely to be very 
  noisy when she goes anywhere. But when one is a shudra, one learns very 
  quickly to catch the small subtle signs of someone drawing near -- and when 
  one is a halfbreed, uncertain of her place and position as a general rule 
  and these days particularly keenly conscious of her own lowly status, one is 
  hypersensitive to anyone passing through her vicinity. Faanshi's head turns 
  slightly at the delicate footfalls of the other young woman, and her 
  leaf-green gaze flickers up momentarily to mark who it is that goes by. The 
  nod is noted, though as soon as Kerani is seen, the shudra's gaze flashes 
  downward again. There is no recognition in that gaze of hers, and her voice 
  is very low and toneless as she murmurs nothing more than a respectful 
  "Namaste', imphada."

Kerani replies with another, more slight nod of her head as she speaks softly, 
  "Namaste." She moves to the edge of the fountain, gazing into the flowing 
  water wordlessly for a couple moments. "It is remarkable," she adds softly, 
  "how easily something so simple can help focus to such a degree, is it not?"

Kerani
        This dusky-skinned young woman seems to barely be more than a girl, 
  with her smooth features and youthful vibrance - perhaps in her mid to late 
  teens. She stands at six feet, with the slender but solid build typical of 
  Varati women. Her dark brown eyes almost seem to shine with an inner fire, 
  and her black hair is held in a single silver-bound ponytail, the end just 
  reaching the bottom of her neck. 
        She wears an elegantly-decorated sari wrapped around her body. The 
  light fabric has a green background, and is embroidered with yellow and blue 
  in vinelike designs. The topmost end of the sari is draped over her 
  shoulder. Her feet are covered with slippers of the same green color. She 
  wears a dark blue leyang around her upper body. A veil of translucent blue 
  covers most of her face, only her eyes remaining unveiled. A length of 
  yellow silk is wrapped under her chin and over her head, serving as a 
  headdress. From each of her earlobes hangs a simple silver hoop earring, 
  circles about a finger wide each. Around her neck are three silver necklaces 
  - one of tiny links, one of small chain, and one of larger chain. A fourth 
  small-chain necklace of less vibrant metal supports a beautiful amethyst 
  charm just below her neckline. On each arm, she wears a pair of silver 
  bracelets, one smaller than the other.

Something in the accents of Kerani's voice as she speaks again rings familiar 
  somehow to the shudra girl -- but Faanshi keeps her bemused frown to 
  herself, safely hidden away behind the double-layered veil she wears as 
  meager protection against winter's chill. More bemusing, to her, is the 
  simple fact that this maiden has uttered something in a conversational tone, 
  and for a moment or two she is uncertain how to reply. Or even whether a 
  reply is expected. But at last Faanshi murmurs timidly, "Yes, imphada. It... 
  clears the mind."

Kerani turns her attention toward the shudra. The young woman seems to approve 
  of having received a reply, as she nods her head slightly. Looking back into 
  the fountain, she continues speaking - perhaps as if thinking aloud. "Haven 
  certainly is a complex place - never mind the other races." She slowly 
  shakes her head. "Moments like this are very much needed, now and then."

"Yes," Faanshi breathes in a tone that hints of wistfulness, "it is... why I 
  came out, until I must return to my duties." Her gaze remains humbly 
  lowered, and she inwardly chides herself for the sound of her own voice. 
  This finely dressed imphada will have no concern for the troubles of a 
  shudra, surely.

Kerani smiles very faintly from behind her thin veil. She again turns her 
  attention toward the shudra, showing that she's much more complex than 
  appearances may show. "If it is not a bother to ask ... What has you 
  troubled?" The other woman receives the focus of her attention that she was 
  recently fixing on the fountain's waters. "With some matters, even being 
  able to speak of them can be more helpful than even a calming place such as 
  this."

Faanshi goes very still, blinking, though her head is still demurely inclined. 
  But it also turns fractionally towards the other young woman, and it seems 
  to take her a moment or two to form a reply. When she does, her voice has 
  turned a trifle ragged, a trifle odd. "It... " She wants to claim that it is 
  nothing of consequence, but then again, the imphada _has_ asked. And so, 
  trying her best to sound stoic, she reluctantly goes on, "I... have been... 
  shaken in my heart, imphada, and... praying for guidance."

Kerani nods very slowly, her smile fading at the shudra's words. The young 
  woman considers her next words more carefully, taking care not to press the 
  issue too far. "Is it a matter," she says more softly, "that advice from 
  another person may help with? Or is it more a matter that you must settle 
  with yourself and with what caused this ... upset?"

"The... matter has been... already settled, as best it could, imphada," 
  Faanshi mutters awkwardly, not daring to meet Kerani's eyes. "I... thank you 
  for your kindness in inquiring."

Kerani's smile returns, as faint as it was before, as she inclines her head. 
  "I will trouble you with the matter no further. A little kindness shown 
  sooner usually prevents much more needless pain later." A pause, before she 
  asks, "Might I have your name?"

_But you know me--_ flashes across the shudra's mind for a moment, causing a 
  subtle start of her slim form. Then Faanshi catches herself. Certain now 
  that she recognizes this other maiden's voice, she realizes that the young 
  priestess of Ushas has seen her before only in the black and red garb of 
  Clan Behzad... and been introduced to her only as 'Yamineh'. Pulling in a 
  breath to try to calm herself, she murmurs then, "Faanshi, imphada."

Kerani's eyebrows raise as she hears the name - the young priestess knows the 
  name, even if until now she hadn't recognized what its bearer appears like 
  until just now. She slowly inclines her head in greeting. "I am Kerani 
  al'Samar," she replies, rather than bringing outward attention to this new 
  revelation.

The shudra, feeling a momentary brightening of her dark mood at the 
  confirmation of her guess about the other girl's identify, cannot keep 
  herself from inclining her head with a depth and respect one wouldn't expect 
  in an introduction between strangers. "I am honored at the meeting, 
  imphada," she murmurs.

Kerani smiles once again, glad that the other woman does remember her. She 
  asks, "Are your duties going to require your presence soon, or might you 
  have some time to talk about some matters of past business?" She indicates 
  toward the northern clearing with a motion of her head.

"I..." Surprise, then, in Faanshi's soft voice. _Has_ Kerani recognized her? 
  The halfbreed healer risks a tiny peek upward, as she finishes, "May stay... 
  for a small time..."

Kerani nods very slightly in reply. "I will keep the matter brief, then."

"Of what do you wish to speak, imphada?" A bit of life creeps into Faanshi's 
  otherwise toneless voice; there is no doubt about it, the young priestess 
  has startled her. And perhaps this is all for the good, to shake her out of 
  whatever trouble has gripped her heart.

Kerani stands up straight, rather than resting at the side of the fountain. "A 
  couple questions you may be able to help me answer," she replies. "It is 
  women's business - I doubt any menfolk who come near will wish to overhear, 
  so perhaps we should take it elsewhere?"

Faanshi blinks, twice, and then slowly rises even as she inclines her head. 
  "All right, imphada..."

Kerani nods her head again. "Over this way," she gestures toward the shrine as 
  she takes a step in that direction, "should be more appropriate."

The shrine. She'd avoided it that morning, had Faanshi, half afraid to go near 
  it for fear that she might have to explain her presence to someone... and 
  half for fear that as her elder teacher appears to have done, that somehow 
  Ushas herself might turn her back upon her. That fear momentarily flashes 
  across the halfbreed's summer-green eyes, but she steels herself as best she 
  can against it. The imphada has asked for privacy; privacy is what the 
  imphada will get. Nervously, she therefore follows Kerani.

Kerani misses, at first, the frightened look - the young vaisya priestess has 
  her attention the wrong way. She quietly leads toward the shrine, and makes 
  her way through the brush.
Kerani slips past a pair of cypress trees, disappearing from view.
Kerani has left.

You slip between a pair of cypress trees, and enter a secluded grotto.
Secluded Grotto - Atesh-Gah Garden - Haven
     Cupped within the delicate palms of serenity, this miniature grotto 
  offers a shelter away from the pressing demands of Atesh-Gah. Surrounded 
  within the velvety, quiet confines of billowing cypress and the weeping 
  leaves of willows, reality is left far behind. A flirty, intoxicating 
  fragrance drifts lazily throughout, brought forth from the sprinking of 
  powdered jasmine, creamy azalea, and a variety of other flourishing blossoms 
  which have taken root here.
     Half-hidden within a dense gathering of thriving, fanning ferns is 
  revealed a statue of unblemished white marble. Etched with a talented hand 
  from long past, care has been taken reveal the likeness of Ushas, Goddess of 
  Mercy, mother of Khalid Atar. Smooth, globular stones of slate hue have been 
  hollowed and placed within an arc formation about the sculpture for ritual 
  offerings. Interwoven, and within the clutches of iron shapings, are brazier 
  stands of a few feet in height, a rippling of flames licking the bellies of 
  each.
     The lush underfooting of grass carpeting offers, along with a scattering 
  of modest boulders, a few pleasant spots for rest and relaxation. Creeping 
  unobtrusively through this surreal enclosure are the persistant trailings of 
  ivy, vines tangling with the every surface.
Contents:
Kerani
Obvious exits:
Fountain <F>

For Faanshi, stepping into the sheltered grove that is the haven of the shrine 
  of Ushas is almost enough to bring a tear to her eye. Despite the winter 
  chill, somehow this place has always felt a bit more inviting to her, a bit 
  more welcoming, a bit more _safe_ than many other places within Atesh-Gah. 
  But she hangs back uncertainly even as she treads in Kerani's wake, not at 
  all sure what the taller maiden might wish to utter to her outside the 
  hearing of any man.

Kerani steps in somewhat more confidently, bowing her head deeply to the 
  shrine and murmuring a prayer to the Goddess. Once her respects have been 
  paid, she turns her head back toward the shudra. Only now does she notice 
  the other woman's hesitance. Kerani tilts her head slightly, watching rather 
  than speak her question aloud.

Blushing behind her veil, Faanshi steps then as close as she dares to the 
  figure of the Lady of the Dawn, not only going down to her knees, but also 
  laying her head forward to her hands upon the ground -- and never mind the 
  relative chill of the grass. If she prays, it is not audible, but at last 
  she sits slowly and cautiously up again, turning her head back slightly 
  towards Kerani without meeting her eyes. She does not venture to ask what 
  the priestess might wish to discuss. Shudra's experience tells her it will 
  be uttered soon enough.

Kerani watches Faanshi quietly as the shudra offers her own respects. She 
  smiles again, waiting quite patiently. As Faanshi stands, the young 
  priestess speaks. "It is good to see that you got out of that place safely," 
  she says. "I had feared the worst when I was unable to see you again 
  afterwards."

Once again, the shudra goes very still. "You... know who I am?" she whispers.

Kerani nods once. "Before I went into there," she replies, "I spoke with a few 
  of the priestesses, ones that already knew that you had gone in to help 
  Imphada Devi."

Stunned of gaze, Faanshi's eyes go wide above her veil. "I... I-I... had not 
  known... that the women of Ushas knew," is her weak reply to this. "I was 
  told to tell no one..."

Kerani smiles reassuringly. "I was only told because I was going in, and 
  because I had asked if any others were within. This is why I did not want to 
  mention save in private."

"I.... see, imphada..." Clearly, this news has rattled the shudra, for she 
  blinks a few times more, her hands clasping and fidgeting with one another 
  at her breast. But she proffers forth a hesitant nod. "I... left, as soon as 
  I woke from my faint."

Kerani nods again slowly. "That is what I was hoping had happened. You 
  certainly did what was safest. I am glad to see you safe." She quietly takes 
  note of the shudra's troubled reactions, uncertain of how to react.

Faanshi, however, seems as of yet uninclined to explain her own skittishness. 
  Instead, she breathes anxiously, "The Imphada Devi... she is well?"

Kerani isn't about to press the matter - she doesn't even know enough about 
  what's wrong to prompt the matter. She replies to the question asked 
  instead. "She had been a bit overworked of late, but has been well. She 
  recently left Haven for some while - I will be tending to her greenhouse in 
  the meanwhile."

"I am pleased," comes Faanshi's whisper. Here in the presence of the shrine a 
  fraction of her tension seems to leave her, enough that she finds the 
  bravery to venture, "I had... feared that perhaps the Warlord had... harmed 
  her."

Kerani shakes her head, and shivers slightly at the memory of that fateful 
  day. "Thank Ushas and her Most Holy Son, no. She was unharmed physically. 
  Her greenhouse will take much more time to recover, but that is a small 
  thing compared to what could have been lost."

Faanshi blows out a very soft breath, and then nods, shakily, in 
  understanding. She doesn't manage a vocal reply; she, too, remembers that 
  day after all. But the flash of recollection in her eyes as she winces 
  behind her veil and glances away is reply enough.

Kerani falls quiet as well - the memory of that day is still too fresh in her 
  mind, and has been troubling her quite a bit of late as well. She turns her 
  attention toward the shrine, looking upward toward the Holy Mother's gentle 
  expression.

"Is there... more you wish to discuss with me, imphada?" the halfbreed 
  ventures at last, with palpable uncertainty and perhaps even a trace of fear 
  in her soft voice.

Kerani blinks her eyes to clear her memories, coming back to the present. 
  "There was another thing - nothing nearly so pressing - having to do with 
  our common gift of being able to heal."

Faanshi starts ever so faintly, then dares to peek up at the taller girl, not 
  sure where this is going but taking a tiny measure of trust that perhaps, 
  just perhaps, Kerani will not chastise her for trying to meet her eyes. 
  "Yes...?"

Kerani doesn't at all take any offense to the upward glance, again offering 
  her faint smile, visible past her translucent veil. "As I'd briefly 
  mentioned months ago," she starts, "my skills are still quite lacking. I've 
  been trying to find someone who might be able to help me correct that. Might 
  you be able to help, or know someone who can?"

Though, granted, it is all unwitting, Kerani has just swung the conversation 
  right back around to the reason why Faanshi had been brooding by the 
  fountain. Those Sylvan-green eyes of her once again reflect a flash of pain 
  -- and she flinches, just a tiny bit, away from the other maiden. "I-I... am 
  not... the best of people to ask about such things, imphada," she mumbles 
  uneasily.

Kerani's smile fades, as she inwardly kicks herself for having tripped over 
  the wrong subject. "I am sorry," she replies very softly. The young 
  priestess falls silent, uncertain of herself again.

Now, though... now that the subject has been pricked anew, perhaps it is just 
  enough to coax further words out of the shudra, uncomfortable words though 
  they might be. Wrapping her arms about herself for more reasons than just 
  the chill of the air, Faanshi takes a few paces away. But she also murmurs 
  raggedly, "I... I am... I would not know how to teach... it would not be 
  seemly, anyway..." And then she hangs her head. "I have a teacher left, but 
  she is Sylvan and I-I do not know if she would take another student..." Then 
  she trails off, her voice beginning to take on a suspicious tone of tears.

Kerani slowly looks back toward Faanshi, quietly. It doesn't take her long to 
  realize that this matter is likely what was on the shudra's mind in the 
  first place - which causes her to inwardly kick herself yet again. Now that 
  she's been given half the chance, she sees if she can take the opportunity 
  to help. "It is all right," she replies softly, taking a couple soft steps 
  closer. "Go on...." she softly urges.

For a few moments, Faanshi remains miserably silent. And then, finally: "My... 
  other teacher... has turned a-against me..."

Kerani raises her eyebrows noticably, at least if anyone was facing her. She's 
  quiet for a couple heartbeats, before she softly asks, "Do you know why?"

Faanshi does, at least somewhat, and that is the source of the greatest part 
  of her misery. Her eyes squeeze shut, and even as she tries to make her 
  reply, her voice roughens with the emotion she cannot easily contain, 
  despite the stoic ways of the Children of Fire. "He... wished me to do 
  something my... imphada asked me not to do... and when I would not do it... 
  we... fought. Th-then he tried to take me into Delphi... h-he..." It is a 
  tiny sound, but easily caught: her voice cracks.

Kerani frowns slightly, and nods slowly, looking down toward the ground 
  silently. She takes yet another step closer, hesitant to offer support where 
  it may not be wanted - something she's too used to dealing with. Still, 
  after a moment's thought, she tosses caution to the wind, and gently reaches 
  to lay a hand lightly on the shudra's shoulder.

That one, small little contact is enough to prompt the tears that have been 
  haunting Faanshi's voice to come into actual being. The halfbreed tries to 
  stem their flow, but though her eyes are closed the drops can still be seen 
  welling up between her closed lashes, trickling down sungolden cheeks. 
  "My... my head... tells me that I-I did the right thing... to obey my 
  imphada... but... my heart still hurts... I... liked the Imphadi Samein...." 
  Trusted him. Thought of him as almost a father. Faanshi doesn't say these 
  things, but perhaps one could guess them from the hurt in her voice.

Kerani gently squeezes the halfbreed's shoulder. There's nothing that she can 
  do to lessen this pain, and she'd be the first to admit to it. The name 
  itself flags a warning in her own mind, one to be mindful of in the future, 
  but such stays off her immediate consciousness for now. "If you feel you did 
  the right thing," she softly says, "then most likely you did. Duty can be a 
  terrible burden at times, especially in matters like this. If you followed 
  your duty, then you did do the right thing."

"That... is what my head tells me," Faanshi agrees in mournful tones, "but 
  I... have been... having great difficulty accepting it..." There's a hand on 
  her shoulder, she realizes, and in bemusement the shudra girl glances at 
  that gentle hand before hesitantly reaching to pat it in acknowledgement and 
  gratitude.

Kerani nods slowly, relaxing inwardly to see that the gesture is appreciated. 
  "That," she says, "is what makes these burdens so difficult to bear. It is 
  not a burden you need to bear alone, even if, in the end, you're the only 
  one who will know when it's time to put it down."

"I have no one with whom to share such a burden, imphada." There is no 
  bitterness in those words, not even that trace of wistfulness that has 
  haunted Faanshi's eyes through much of what she's had to say. Indeed, this 
  statement of hers is as matter-of-fact as though she had commented upon the 
  color of her own veil.

Kerani slowly shakes her head, gently squeezing your shoulder. "That," she 
  softly says, "is the only part of what you've told me in which I can say 
  that you're wrong."

"I am shudra, imphada," whispers Faanshi. "And halfbreed. What burdens I bear 
  I... I must carry, if I am to be reborn as s-something... better in my next 
  life...!" Green eyes begin, then, to take on a touch of desperation. Though 
  te way of the Children of Fire may be to live as nobly as possible in this 
  life so that the next one may be better, this timid healer maiden seems to 
  be having difficulty making herself believe it.

Kerani gently squeezes your shoulder, as she murmurs, "Whether your blood is 
  full, half, quarter, or whatever fraction of Varati ... it is not shameful 
  to share your burden with another when they are offering to help. 
  Self-reliance cannot always take precedence over Wisdom." She continues, in 
  a softer tone, "If I am pressing too hard, I give you leave to tell me so."

"I..." That Faanshi swallows hard cannot be seen behind her veils, but the 
  moisture that wells sharply up within her eyes is more than visible. "I 
  do... not know how... you might help, imphada," she murmurs tinily.

Kerani nods very slowly, relaxing her hold on your shoulder but not yet 
  releasing her hand. "If it helps to talk - whether about the matter or about 
  something else altogether - that can help. If you want advice, I can try. 
  Even if you just need someone to be with you in your difficult time, then if 
  I can make it easier, it is worth my time."

For a moment or two, Faanshi says nothing, simply gazing uncertainly up at the 
  taller girl. There is hesitance in her eyes, intermingled with hope, and 
  when she succeeds in speaking again her voice has grown rather more ragged. 
  "You honor me, imphada... thank you..."

Kerani smiles faintly, visible behind her thin blue veil, and slowly nods. 
  "Everyone deserves honor, respect, and compassion, Faanshi, no matter what 
  their station."

"The sixth surah," murmurs the shudra maiden, sounding a trifle steadier now. 
  The surahs: something she knows.

Kerani nods slowly, releasing your shoulder slowly as she lets her hand return 
  to her side. "Also the first and the eighth." She continues to smile, gently.

Faanshi pulls in a breath, glancing once more to the image of Ushas, and after 
  gazing longly upon Her she ventures very softly, "Sometimes... I feel as 
  though the surahs are all I have... my... heart-mother taught them to me..."

Kerani nods slowly, looking toward the image of the Holy Mother as well. "They 
  are important to us all. Too many of us forget them while claiming to live 
  by them." Her smile takes on a sad tone as she says that, before she looks 
  back to the shudra.

Faanshi's gaze lowers, and she breathes out in that same tiny, mournful voice, 
  "Yes. I have learned that now..." With an effort, she straightens up a bit, 
  rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes, though she does not look up 
  again. "I... only wish..."

Kerani nods very slowly, not wanting to push any harder - hoping that her 
  quiet presence is enough to encourage the young shudra to go on.

"I would... try to tell others if they are not... living by the surahs, but I 
  do not think that they would listen to me," Faanshi concludes.

Kerani mms softly and nods. "I do have the same problem most of the time. I 
  can only counsel those who follow the ways of Ushas - and even then, I try 
  to teach by example."

"I wish I knew more of... but my heart-mother passed on." Again, there is no 
  bitterness in Faanshi's soft voice... but there's that wistfulness again, 
  nevertheless.

Kerani nods very slowly. "I may still be young," she explains, "but I feel I 
  have a good grasp of the surahs - not just for living them myself. The 
  Atarvani can help as well - it is their duty, after all."

Faanshi makes a small face behind her veil, and some hint of her discomfort at 
  the mention of the Atarvani might possibly be glimpsed in the furtive glance 
  she gives to the statue of the Lady. "I... have not felt at ease in the 
  presence of the Atarvani, imphada," she admits abashedly.

Kerani mms softly, and smiles reassuringly. "It's quite all right. Most of 
  them make me a bit uneasy as well. Some are approachable, but it is tough to 
  find out whom."

The shudra maiden nods, once, peeking back at Kerani as she does. "Yes," she 
  murmurs, and then she draws in a breath, telling herself that she has 
  burdened this young priestess with her personal troubles long enough. Still, 
  though, there are proprieties she must observe, and so she asks humbly, "Are 
  there more things you wish to discuss with me, imphada?"

Kerani smiles faintly. "I have nothing more. If there's anything more you want 
  to speak with me about, feel free. As long as my own duties allow, I am 
  always available if you have need."

It's a good and tempting offer -- but Faanshi, not quite ready to believe that 
  even this kind young Ushasti woman will follow through on such a gesture to 
  her, allows herself to only nod and murmur, "I... will remember. Thank you, 
  imphada..."

Kerani smiles and inclines her head. "I should let you get back to your own 
  duties - and perhaps get a head start on my own. It is good to see you 
  again, Faanshi. Walk in the light of the Divine Flame."

"Namaste', Imphada Kerani." Faanshi bows low, as much to hide the wetness 
  still lingering in her eyes as to show her deference to the priestess. And 
  then, just as quietly as she'd accompanied the other girl into the grove, 
  she turns to take her leave. Her departure is as quiet as any Varati woman's 
  ever is, but nevertheless, despite her silent step, despite her demure 
  grace, she can still be noted to flee.

[End log.]