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rix_scaeduThis piece runs to 2,973 words and I hope that you enjoy it.
Naiphday, 1 Deichen, 1893 C.E.
Rebi, 19 Sajibu, 2157 T.M.L.
12 Tlanoluaoy, 6 Coatl, 6.11.2.1.8.3.7
Dear Journal,
Nais woke me at the appointed time and we did not dawdle over my ablutions and getting me into my walking dress. We were downstairs, shawls about our shoulders to counteract the morning chill and adjusting our hats when Miztli descended the stairs for his pre-exercise snack. He was kind enough to say that we both looked very smart, and stayed chatting with us until Lord Elnaith arrived to take us to morning prayers. I noticed that Miztli is still limping a little form the other day - I didn't notice it yesterday, so perhaps it's due to the early morning coolness.
Outside the morning was clear but cool, and everything had a freshly washed look. Lord Elnaith had not borrowed a carriage, and so we walked. As at home, there were a lot of household food deliveries being made - fresh bread, fish, flowers, and vegetables. All of them looked to be staples that a large household knew they would need but did not need to select the particular items of. Our walk ended at a very Imperial railing gate in a railing fence that separated a small terrace, maybe three people wide, along a portion of the consulate from the side street it faced. The gate and the door beyond it were both open, and both of them were manned by a footman each. The door opened directly into the side of the chapel itself and there was also a main door that was obviously the access from the consulate. I thought that having monitored access to the chapel through the side door was a deft compromise between sharing the consul's private service with other Imperial church adherents and not having everyone attending the service coming in through the front door, have their hats taken, need to be guided to the right place, etc.
The consul's chaplain is the Right Reverend Taimhail dh'Ghruaign. Lord Elnaith told me later that he is a connection of the consul's wife who is rusticating here after finding out something unsavoury that was happening in his diocese. The sermon was on Stewards 3, Chapter 5, verse 9: "Carry out your work and duties both as if the next prophet will be revealed tomorrow and as if there will be no more prophets: you have been taught the virtues and given your direction, and all else is up to you." Lord Elnaith advised me that the gentleman who recited the entrical is one of the consulate's Imperial clerks, a young man on his first posting. The collection was taken up for the chaplain's fund for distressed travellers.
I was introduced to the Right Reverend dh'Ghruaign when we left the service as he was farewelling the congregation through the side door. Neither the consul nor his wife were in attendance, I assume they pleased to attend the full service later in the morning. I met Mr dh'Bhraigh again (he complimented me on my outfit) but most of the embassy staff who attended slipped out quickly at the end of the service - possibly to secure their breakfast. Mr dh'Bhraign introduced Lord Elnaith and I to the Fhraisghait family (I strongly suspect Mrs Fhraisghait of engineering circumstances that made it impossible for him not to introduce us). There are eight Fhraisghait children, including several sets of twins, the eldest of whom is nineteen. The oldest girl is fifteen going on sixteen, so I don't think her mother is trying to steer her into a match, unless it is with Mr dh'Bhraigh in a year or two, but they may be trying to find a position for one of the seventeen year old twins. Eight children is a lot to establish in the world. Mr Fhraisghait is a factor dealing mainly in agricultural produce, and I asked him if he is familiar with the Confederation's rules on exporting viable bean seed. We agreed that it was not an appropriate time or place for further discussion, and he gave me his card so I can pursue the matter later - possibly after I return home.
It was a pleasant walk home with many more people around because, of course, today is not a day of rest or of any particular religious observance in Tlemutsiko. Matlal met us at the front door, took our hats, and directed Lord Elnaith and I to the downstairs retiring rooms where we could freshen ourselves up before entering the breakfast room.
Cousin Ghrus, Axolin, Yeixi, Nahuitlau, and Chiccetlalli were all at breakfast when we entered the room. An interesting occurrence as I do not normally see three of them in the morning. Matlal seated us at freshly laid places at the breakfast table, and then assisted Lord Elnaith in making his choices from the buffet while dishing up my plate. When we both were seated with food in front of us, Matlal produced a freshly brewed pot of tea with all the appropriate additives. Lord Elnaith looked slightly apprehensive when he first tasted it, but then looked much relieved and drank freely. He complimented Matlal on his tea making skills and Matlal said that it was a necessary skill in my Great-aunt and Great-uncle's house. He also observed that Mrs Forbaign senior had been able, over time, to cultivate contacts with tea suppliers who were unavailable or unknown to the consul's household.
We were considering a second pot of tea, and Lord Elnaith had already asked that his compliments be conveyed to the kitchen, when Miztli returned from his club to have his proper breakfast. He sat down opposite us and, once he had his food, engaged Lord Elnaith in conversation about gangs made up of tribesmen from the Southern Ice, trafficking of vulnerable persons, theft of historical objects, and social obligations. Lord Elnaith suggested a gentleman of his acquaintance whom he knew to share some of Miztli's concerns, and Miztli thanked him for the information. Miztli asked what Lord Elnaith knew of the Southern tribesmen's symbology, Lord Elnaith admitted a limited knowledge based on contact with two tribes over separate periods of twelve months each, two years apart - he pointed out that, as far as he knew, neither tribe had direct contact with the Confederation. Miztli spoke about apparent shifts in the power dynamics among the aforementioned gangs. He then asked whether Lord Elnaith had ever met a Jizohord or heard of such a person.
I had Matlal bring the second pot of tea because that question set off a long discussion about tribal justice traditions, ice worm theology, and jurisdictional boundaries. Cousin Ghrus and Axolin were asked for opinions on several points of Confederation law, and I think the others may have fled the room - even if Yeixi did say that he was going to try to find a particular reference book.
I think the discussion went for rather longer than either Miztli or Lord Elnaith expected, and I think they both enjoyed it and found it useful. [It seemed to me that Miztli rather enjoyed being a principal in a conversation on professional matters that included his father and older brother. It also seemed to me that they were surprised at his grasp of legal nuance.]
After Lord Elnaith made his farewells, I went up to my room with the intention of reading a chapter of Meditations on the Healing Virtues. However, I discovered that this is the time of day when the housemaids clean the rooms and hallways on my floor (I'm normally in the office parlor at this time, so I did not know this) so I took my book downstairs to a side parlor that seemed little used. The Imperial Church is obviously not well favoured in the Confederation, and not without reason, so I thought everyone would be more comfortable if I didn't wave a book of sermons in front of their faces. Chapter Eight of the Reverend Doctor Ghaighul's book is on fortitude and resilience. His arguement is that the two are, ideally, complementary traits and that even if an individual does not have both, a community should have both contributed to the common good from its members. In contrast to some definitions I have seen, he regards fortitude as the ability to withstand a hardship without being overcome, and resilience as the ability to recover from a hardship and even build on that experience to become a better person or achieve greater success than one previously held. [Why yes, the Reverend Fairdaice's use of these words does come to mind.]
I joined the family again at lunch and was bidden to sit between Great-aunt and Cousin Poktlilui so they could ask me about my morning's excursion. They both expressed surprise that I could recite the verse for the morning's sermon word for word, and that I would voluntarily read a sermon. I explained that it came out of the insistence that I become knowledgeable about the Imperial Church's theology in the years after my father's death. (Mother considers it a suitable field of study for a spinster daughter, and it is fashionable for young ladies to study the subject, and Mother likes to drill me on the verses when we return home after services.) Also, I enjoy the Reverend Doctor Ghaighul's tone - he seems to genuinely like people, wish them well, and to encourage them to be better people. Plus a large component of "things I should be doing to observe Naiphday." It is also much more enjoyable to read a good sermon without having to write a precis for Mother to go through afterwards. We then discussed my mother's habit of getting me to read books for her. Great-aunt Giltreeada suggested that my mother should hire a companion while Cousin Poktlilui thought that she needs a secretary. Both were approving when I pointed out that Tallaig and Anna (and possibly Castor) have made her hire both a companion and a housekeeper since I left home. Cousin Ghrus, Axolin, and Miztli were told that they have permission to become high handed about domestic matters if the two senior ladies of the household become "chronically distempered." (Which must have been disconcerting for them because I believe they were in their own conversations and not listening in on ours.)
The after lunch mail delivery brought me a letter from Mother. In it she complained about the managing tendencies of my brother and both the housekeeper and companion he has employed for her. There were also paragraphs on the appalling price of eggs, butter, and sugar (all perfectly normal for this time of year), the dreadful result of the lord mayor's wife's redecoration of her drawing room, and Sura's possible suitors. Tallaig has, it seems, been assisting legal authorities with their investigation into a fraud, but in a good way she assured me, and certain ladies of her acquaintance have told her how helpful and reassuring they have found him. [I am certain that this is the business that led Tallaig to send me the extra money I received when I arrived here, but it is possible that something else has come up.] She finished the missive with an exhortation not to be spendthrift with my funds as she expects me to render her with an accounting and the balance on my return!(!) [My exclamation and hers.]
I spent most of the afternoon writing to my mother, siblings, and various ladies I have met in my travels with whom I would like and hope to maintain a correspondence. Well, the ones that I have mailing addresses for. I returned to the drawing room in time for afternoon refreshments with the ladies of the household and several connections of Cousin Poktlilui's who had called. After that I was able to make some pleasing progress on my embroidery before I went upstairs to prepare for dinner.
At dinner I was back in the middle of the table with my cousins and Tehaneume, between Yeixi and Miztli. Yeixi and I discussed this morning's service. He was interested in whether it was what I had expected and in the layout of an Imperial private chapel. He told me that Confederation households sometimes have a dedicated altar to one of the gods but that the sacred space has to be below a certain size or the entire house is considered a temple, which can be awkward. Miztli asked me what awareness the typical Imperial resident has of the Southern Ice and the tribes that live there. Naturally I pointed out that I live in a provincial town over a thousand Imperial leagues from the Southern Ice, and that I am out of touch with any relevant current news. He encouraged me to continue. The Southern Ice tribes are those whose lands are completely or mainly on the Southern Ice. They are part of a bigger network of tribes occupying the boreal forest, tundra, and ice south of the Empire that begins on the east coast of the continent and extends westwards until the Circle Mountains eliminate the possibility of forest and tundra. Ice and ocean based tribes live in the southern arc of the Circle Mountains in what we consider Imperial territory and east of the continental coast. I was apologetic when I told him that I am unaware of the situation west of the Circle Mountains. Some tribes and their territories have been incorporated into the Empire for either short term or long term Imperial gains. Miztli asked what those might be and I enumerated the usual reasons - cessation of banditry into the Empire by a starving or needy population, acquisition of strategic resources e.g. iron and salt mines, and dealing with a pre Era of Cataclysms artefact. I added that I understand that there was some concern that some tribes from the Circle might need to relocate/be relocated but I don't believe I've seen an explanation of why. Miztli told me that I'd been very helpful.
When the ladies retired to the parlor for our kasoolht, Tehaneume asked me if I know why Cousin Ghrus and Axolin seemed a little put out. She added that she thought that it had something to do with what had happened at breakfast. I said that the only thing I had noticed at breakfast that was unusual was that Miztli had asked them for an opinion on whether a tribe from the Southern Ice could be considered an allied althepetl under Confederation law. It had something to do with cross-jurisdiction justice. Cousin Poktlilui observed that she loved and esteemed them all, but the two older male members of the family did tend, in her opinion, to underestimate Miztli. Probably because they have fallen into the mistake of believing that he thinks with his fists - the original proverb in Coac-htl is much wittier and excellent word play.
The gentlemen rejoined us a little later than usual. Axolin and Miztli asked me to play a three handed game of maistoto with them and proceeded to ask me detailed questions about what they can expect of the dinner at the consulate. I expect that the consul and his wife will be our host and hostess as she issued the invitation to Cousin Poktlilui. However, I observed quietly to my two cousins that the expected outbreak of diplomatic illness tomorrow might leave Lord Elnaith or an older member of the consul's staff as the host. Axolin asked what I meant, and I asked him if he expected his grandmother or father to set foot inside Imperial territory without more safeguards than I was currently aware of. Axolin said that he was not aware that I was cognisant of the potential problems. I observed that I had had time to do my sums and think about things and...consequences. Miztli smirked. Another point I raised was whether there had ever been any contact between Great-aunt's charity and the chaplain's fund for distressed travellers - there seems to me to be a likely confluence of interest.
Apparently I made a pertinent point, because when we finished the hand, Axolin asked Great-aunt about it. From her point of view, the interest of various incumbents at the consulate in the fate of children with Imperial or semi-Imperial antecedents without connections has been variable, even if they have papers. The current incumbent is one she approves of because, "He asks the right questions and acts on the answers," while previous chaplains have included some who assumed that indigent Imperial citizens here would be "taken care of by the parish," or that children could take on what some at home call urchin tasks, when that work doesn't really exist in Tlemutsiko - or not in the forms it does in the Empire.
As I was saying goodnight before coming up to bed, Axolin suggested to all of us that he or Miztli might escort me home when I leave. He pointed out that with a maid and a male relative I would probably have a smoother journey home than I had here (I hope I did not make too much of the small irritations I suffered on my way here.) It would also give them the opportunity to meet Tallaig, my sisters, and my brother-in-law. It was not, he said, something that needed to be decided on straight away, but we might all, he looked at Cousin Ghrus when he said that, like to think about it for a while.
When I think about the camaraderie between my male cousins here, I want something like that for my brother. Tallaig has friends, not that I really know who they are these days, but we have no blood relations at home and I wonder if there might be something in those relationships that he misses.
Anadrasata Nearabhigan
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Date: 2025-02-21 10:08 pm (UTC)So I might be imagining this but I feel like Miztli and Anadrasata may have subconsciously bonded a bit over 'being the one whose astuteness everyone underestimates'
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Date: 2025-02-21 11:21 pm (UTC)As for behind, I am still in the throes of typing up the last of four handwritten installments so they can all be posted before I write the next side piece.
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Date: 2025-03-30 07:35 pm (UTC)... how would indigent Imperial citizens be taken care of at home? Would the chaplain or priest be a key part of that, or does that fall on the ladies' social network or somesuch? How would a much, much smaller parish in a foreign land be able to handle that?
So much politics!
Anadrasata starting to pursue her own personal (new family's!) business connections!
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Date: 2025-04-01 10:42 am (UTC)