All Grown Up

I found Mezoo at the fires .. watching her for a moment before I spoke ... I could see both Pacu and Astar in her. It dawned on me slowly how much she had grown up before my eyes. The last few years making the biggest differences.

I told her Oren had sent me to find her .. to speak to her. She told me that her grandmother had spoken to her of her thoughts. I asked Mezoo what she wanted.

She told me she wanted to learn .. to understand things that were happening to her and around her. She told me that she did not want to be .. she made it clear she did not want to be like Aunt.

I was some relieved at that .. The Dream War seemed a long way away from me right now .. but I was not naive enough to believe it was over. It would not be over as long as Aunt drew breath. There was a certain warning I took from Aunt making herself interested in a young Spex. It could not mean anything good for me.

I told Mezoo that if I had learned anything from my Clan it was individualized .. there should be no two Haruspex alike. Just as each person was different .. their ways of interpreting and the paths they chose to interpret were as different as their personalities.

She asked me if I would be the one to teach her .. to mentor her and I told her I would but that I wanted it to be her idea. Not Oren's. Just because Oren thought it was a good idea did not mean that I would find it to be a binding truth.

Her words held a youthful wisdom .. I told her I would do this for her. That I would speak with Aod .. but that it was only a formality.

It was about then that Asria arrived with Lei. They were welcomed to the fires. The two women chatted as women do. Lei had a small war of wills with the jit. There was an energy .. a warmth around Oren's fires that had been missing since Pacu's death. It was a good feeling.

Both Asria and Mezoo spoke of the extra food .. I told them I would help some of it be dispersed to other families and that I would also see that the slaves came over to help dry it for the move. There was not much time left and I did not want to see it wasted .. thrown to the sleen. That only reminded me I needed to see that Pei and Salu got new sleen since Pacu's had been put down at the time of his Pyre. I would make a mental note to stop by Ogedaii's fires and do just that. I also told the woman that Pei and Salu would be helping them both .. well Salu probably would be as soon as I knocked his head off a wagon side or two. He would probably say something stupid to me .. like his name was Tao ... and that would start it.

Asria was looking for salt .. I told both Asria and Mezoo to go through my supply wagons. There was Sky only knew what stored in there. Much I had never even gone through myself. I had need for very little and lived that way.

Asria then asked me a question about the First Fires. She said she had been to visit them and the Ubar had asked her what she could do for him. Asria said she kept answering what she could do for the First Fires .. but the Ubar kept wanting to know what she could do for .. him. She asked me .. what the answer to that question could have been.

My brow slowly rose at the question. I glanced around carefully before I answered her. I told her that I was sure the Ubar meant nothing personal .. that he was most likely asking her a question to bring into focus what she would be offering the First Fires as apposed to the Tribe as a whole. To find the reasoning for her wish to be a part of those fires. She tried to convince me it seemed something more .. something that made her uncomfortable.

I quickly and directly assured her she was wrong. I went so far as to make her feel foolish and childish for even speaking of it .. or wishing to understand something she should have known better than to misunderstand. She blushed .. nodded and assured me she had meant nothing by it and she knew better.

My lip curled over the white of one eyetooth and I nodded to her. If there was any guilt for what I did .. it was washed clean by the knowledge that it was for her own good. For the good of Lei. In this case I was very comfortable that the ends justified the means.

She left the fires with Lei. Black gaze slowly found a focus on Mezoo.

The next few moments were intense. I learned more about Mezoo than I meant to and there is going to be some arms length there from now on. And no I did not miss the glint of light on the blade she pulled .. even on me. I am proud of her. When the hell did she become a woman? A woman .. in all the right places? It was enough to sizzle through my brain like a raw piece of bosk on a hot skillet.

But not enough of a sizzle that I lost my intent or my warning to her. I made it very clear of where her parameters were and that I would guard them .. as if I were her father. To the point I would humiliate her and make her appear childish if she challenged my decision. I named those that Shall Not Be Named .. and I left the fear of them with her before I walked away.

Now would be the perfect time to speak to Salu .. I was in the mood for it.