[color=757163][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/DdObZvT.jpeg[/img] [img]https://txt.1001fonts.net/img/txt/dHRmLjk2LmRhYWIyNC5VM1J5WVc1a1pXUWdMU0JRWVhKMElEUS4w/italianno.regular.webp[/img] [/center] [hr][hr] [center][youtube]https://youtu.be/QqjOfBcnD2o[/youtube][/center] [hider=Final Part!]That night, the rains came: a final, torrential reckoning from the dying season behind them. Rooftops thundered and leaked. The sky rumbled. Wind lashed at palm trees and sugarcane fields. It was just as well, for the coast-hugging merchantmen who plied the nearby sea routes, bringing trade in goods and news alike, were put to anchor to ride the weather out. Travelers who might've carried the news turned in for the night wherever they could find shelter. Kalubay lasted another night in blissful ignorance and, as a result, so did Marawan. Zarina spent the night at Malaki's house, sharing the spare room with Emel. Normally, ladies of their status would've warranted separate accommodation, but prosperity was a relative thing. Did she sleep soundly, as her manas began to regenerate? Did the beast stir within or the great rippling flashes that split the sky wake her? Did she shuffle through the common room, where water leaked into pails, to stand under the verandah and watch, or was it oddly - comfortingly - similar to Virang? She was woken shortly after dawn by the loud sound of banging echoing up the foothills in the soft misty morning rain. It was the repeated banging of someone working with tools on a wooden surface. Just what this involved was presently beyond her. A hope was born out of the welcome banquet. A small, unprecedented hope but still something to hold onto. It felt good, Zarina thought, that solutions could be found without people butchering one another and taking bullets for fools. But Malawan's dramas and future were only an immediate issue and hid the larger worries that ate the Virangish envoy once she had some time to reflect. It made her night difficult, with the constant rain serving as a white noise that kept her fully aware. The insomnia was back after almost a year of semi-recovery and they came with concerns for her people, notably Raffaella, Selma and even Tku. Had they survived? How did people fare down south? She hesitated whether she should hop on the portal the moment the opportunity presented itself. But to leave these people after what they had given her without seeing through her work would almost be symbolic of the half-assed work done by her country in this land. A few days, she determined. A few days to sort this problem and potentially use it as an example. It was the only way she could see to quell the flames of war. Zarina had been up for the majority of the night, pacing and thinking. She had hoped to maybe find a goat to exchange with, but ranching seemed to be above this household's duties. Eventually, the young dragon with her magic slowly returning had dosed off, sat on her bed, until the sounds of early morning work got her attention. Rising after three hours of sleep, she took to the outdoors for some post-storm fresh air and stretches. Emel was already out there on the verandah, bags under her eyes and a leering look in them. [color=pink]"It's [i]this[/i] fucking guy again."[/color] She gestured with languid vexation into the near distance. [color=pink]"Someone really ought to put a stop to him."[/color] Manalo, with Makisig and his eldest daughter, Liwayway, was putting up a stand in the clearing where the village had always conducted its informal markets. As few others fished, raised animals, or farmed except as a hobby, it was a space that had both shrunk, in recent years, and come to be one that he dominated. Behind him, he had a great big heaping wagon. A couple of other men, with mostly-empty wagons, were unloading the last of their goods. Makisig was hard at work with his hammer, enthusiastically (if somewhat crookedly) nailing planks together, while his older sister was meticulously weaving together an animal pen. His work seemed to have stirred a number of others. While a handful griped at him, most were curious, and they began to gather round, likely as he had planned. He began to explain matters, in fact, though it was in Palaparese. As she finished the fence, Liwayway brought out a plank, and on it was writing, in a Virangish script. If it was not quite legible from where she and Zarina had emerged, Emel's body language changed in understanding of perhaps some of the locals' speech. [color=pink]"I don't understand, for the life of me, what this man's problem is,"[/color] she hissed, [color=pink]"but he's about to make it ours if we don't act."[/color] Zarina crossed her arms as she watched from afar. Her manas were healing and for the first time in a few days, she could see with more than her eyes. Though, in this very moment, the object of her concern was something only her eyes could truly assess. [color=#E5E4E2]“He smells blood, now that the initial threat of conquest has been defused.”[/color] with that, she began to approach the square where many had gathered. [color=#E5E4E2]“I'll go talk to him. Feel free to join the ride, little bean.”[/color] the taller of the two chuckled after uttering that term of endearment. When Zarina had arrived with a few other villagers that had shown interest in the demonstration, she shot a glance at the sign before dedicating her attention to the jaded younger brother. [color=pink]"It depends,"[/color] Emel replied, rising, [color=pink]"if you're looking to bait the bull more."[/color] She shook her head tightly. [color=pink]"You, he tolerates; me, he hates."[/color] [color=#E5E4E2]“Just a friendly talk.”[/color] Zarina reassured, turning back to glance at her fellow Virangish. [color=#E5E4E2]“You're good at that, aren't you?”[/color] Emel seemed near-entirely unconvinced. [color=pink]"Plenty,"[/color] she replied, [color=pink]"but just my presence alone might be enough to set him off."[/color] She shrugged, however, resigned to it. Upon their approach, Makisig perked up and waved, and his sister - all of about fourteen - glanced awkwardly between the boy and their father, biting her lower lip. Manalo was speaking and his eyes flicked the pair's way. His voice seemed to grow almost immediately thereafter, and Emel did her best to (imperfectly) translate. [color=pink]"He's saying a word that means something like 'gift', or 'free',"[/color] she said quietly, trailing just a shoulder behind Zarina. The word 'Pirang' coud be heard at least a couple of times, both from his mouth and others'. [color=pink]"He's talking about hard work,"[/color] she continued, concentrating to hear, [color=pink]"and 'us' and 'ourselves'."[/color] She nibbled her lower lip. [color=pink]"Something about the harbour and opportunity. Something about 'South'."[/color] Then, they were there. Manalo's eyes flicked up and down Zarina. They took in Emel briefly. [color=B22222]"Helo and good morning,"[/color] he said. [color=B22222]"What make you come the market this early time?"[/color] his smile seemed welcoming enough on the surface, but he was a spider, and this was his web. Zarina listened closely without straying from her path, both in gait and gaze. The body language mattered as much as the words and she was curious to see if this man had turned rabid militant over night, or if a discussion was possible. With the welcome, to which she seemed unbothered by a potential trap, the taller Virangish nodded with a smile that matched Manalo's. [color=#E5E4E2]“Good morning. I wanted to try my hand at making some breakfast.”[/color] answered Zarina, her own body language open. [color=#E5E4E2]“And with a bustling market, I figured I was at the right place.”[/color] her eyes trailed through the group of people surrounding her. They ended on Makisig, to whom she beamed particularly brightly. [color=#E5E4E2]“I'm not very familiar with Palparese, I'm afraid. Is there a big event unfolding today?”[/color] The boy shot her a weird look, but then it was his father's turn to speak. [color=B22222]"Ah!"[/color] he exclaimed, [color=B22222]"this no market."[/color] He shook his head. [color=B22222]"Pour year before when we grow more thing - not just sugarcane - we all trade here."[/color] [color=CD5C5C]"It was really pun,"[/color] Maki chimed in, sitting atop a fence and swinging his legs back and forth. [color=B22222]"We cannot hab sugarcane only."[/color] Manalo shook his head. [color=B22222]"This is way you people control us."[/color] He nodded, taking in all the others in an encompassing gesture as he turned a bit on the spot. [color=B22222]"So I am sell tem por a very low price - almost pree - so people can make his own pood again."[/color] [color=#E5E4E2]“I know.”[/color] Zarina replied, her gaze following Manalo's wide gesture. [color=#E5E4E2]“A better deal was talked about yesterday. I wanted to help. Maybe we'll have a bustling square again in a little bit.”[/color] He studied her as she spoke. [color=B22222]"A better deal."[/color] He snorted. [color=B22222]"One make by rich Pirang and my... [i]taksil[/i] brother."[/color] He shook his head and opened his mouth to continue, but it was at that moment that an old woman came up beside him and slapped him full across the cheek. [abbr= Your brother is a fool, but he is not a traitor. A traitor is one who speaks the way you do about his family.][color=BA55D3]"Ang iyong kapatid ay isang tanga, ngunit siya ay hindi isang taksil! Ang isang traydor ay isa na nagsasalita sa paraang ginagawa mo tungkol sa kanyang pamilya."[/color][/abbr] Lumi stood there, fuming, and shook her head in frustration. [abbr= I did not raise you to be like that.][color=BA55D3]"Hindi kita pinalaki para maging ganyan."[/color][/abbr] Her nostrils flared and a few strands of grey hair broke loose from her bun. [abbr= You should be helping your brother, not standing here and speaking badly about him.][color=BA55D3]"Dapat tinutulungan mo ang kapatid mo, hindi nakatayo dito at nagsasalita ng masama tungkol sa kanya!"[/color][/abbr] Emel leaned in to Zarina. Her voice was quick and quiet and held more than a hint of amusement. [color=pink]"She's berating him for speaking badly about Malaki and saying that he should be helping him instead... I think."[/color] Zarina wasn't so amused. She related heavily with all of it and tightened her crossed arms as she witnessed the whole thing unfold. When the reprimand finished and whispers among the people were in abundance, she stepped forward. [color=#E5E4E2]“You both want what's best for your Marawan and her people.”[/color] she said with a voice that carried through the whole square. [color=#E5E4E2]“It is a sad thing to see siblings drift so far apart when their goals are, in the end, the same. But now there is a chance-”[/color] she unfolded one arm and gestured toward the Agha's home. [color=#E5E4E2]“To make it all right. To make it all work. I want that too, as a Virangish.”[/color] Manalo looked stunned for a moment, as the murmurs rose, and Zarina's voice cut through them. Lumi scowled, motioning Liwayway to her side. The girl leaned in and tried to translate. The family matriarch nodded along and, now that her reprimand was done, moved in close beside her son, speaking animatedly into her her granddaughter's ear. The girl knitted her hands in front of her, looking about uncertainly. Her eyes flicked up towards Zarina's and them immediately to her shoes. [color=F08080]"My grandma say..."[/color] She trialed off for a moment, brow furrowed, fingers clenching and squirming. [color=F08080]"She is know you good person. Always listen her."[/color] She glanced up momentarily. [color=F08080]"But other Pirang is not."[/color] She shrunk into herself again, a bit. [color=F08080]"They lie and try cheat we. Think Palapar stupih'."[/color] She took a trembling breath. [color=F08080]"Uncle - [i]Malaki[/i] make a bad deal and now want save, but what change they now? Why they differn? How they differn?"[/color] Zarina was patient. No interruption, no change of expression, she neutrally regarded the teen and occasionally nodded to indicate her full attention was still there. Once the questions were posed, a few seconds of pause were warranted. [color=#E5E4E2]“What changed is that they see you're not stupid. And now they want to properly work with you.”[/color] she smile confidently. [color=#E5E4E2]“I'm going to make sure they do. I do owe you all at least that.”[/color] Liwayway translated dutifully - the girl was almost annoyingly mousy - and Lumi nodded, but she pinched her chin between her fingers, considering skeptically. She exchanged a handful of words with Manalo and he snorted and smiled. [color=B22222]"She think what I am think too."[/color] He crossed his arms. [color=B22222]"They change because they is scare."[/color] Zarina could practically [i]feel[/i] Emel tighten up at the words. [color=B22222]"We just fight down south."[/color] He uncrossed his arms, shook his head and sighed. [color=B22222]"And no thing change. I think very soon, another fight. A bigger fight."[/color] He smiled, just a bit. [color=B22222]"More change."[/color] Zarina shook her head. [color=#E5E4E2]“Change is happening right now. Do you think the discussion at the mansion would have happened a month ago?”[/color] it was Zarina's turn to cross her arms. Her tone was a little more argumentative. Like Emel, she was clenching up from the increasingly concerning rhetoric. [color=#E5E4E2]“The point is we can avoid more fighting if we start to listen to one another. Marawan can be a start to this big change, Manalo.”[/color] He scowled, Liwayway and Makisig stumbling over each other to translate for their grandmother and the crowd. [color=B22222]"I think, if you want listen, you need have all at you table - even words you are not like."[/color] He was leaning against a fencepost, arms crossed. He arched an eyebrow skeptically, and sighed. [color=B22222]"Now, you come say hi. You buy or you go?"[/color] An older man, most of his teeth missing, pushed his way through the crowd at about that moment. People parted for him, exclaiming loudly in a language that Zarina did not speak or understand. He was small and lively-looking, and carried a large pack. People swirled back as he came to a stop close to Manalo. [abbr= Welcome, buddy! I didn't think you'd be here so early.][color=B22222]"Maligayang pagdating, kaibigan! Hindi ko akalain na makakarating ka ng ganito kaaga."[/color][/abbr] The smaller man waved him off, but he continued. [abbr= Tell me, what have you got for us?][color=B22222]"Sabihin mo sa akin, ano ang mayroon ka para sa amin?"[/color][/abbr] [color=#E5E4E2]“I'd gladly have you with us.”[/color] Zarina answered, calming down now that tension began to die down. [color=#E5E4E2]“But you'll need to get your own home in order, first.”[/color] she peered toward Malaki's estate for a brief second. [color=#E5E4E2]“Goat cheese? I'll take some of that.”[/color] An elderly man made his appearance, a man well-respected Zarina deduced. Whilst she waited for cheese to be shown to her, she paid particular attention to the grandpa. Manalo snapped his fingers, called out a few words, and Makisig set to work with a big grin, his sister pestering him and pointing things out. From his case, meanwhile, the old man extracted... a stringed instrument. People clapped and exclaimed excitedly. Liwayway's eyes lit up and she bounded off inside and returned with some sort of drum. A woman of about fifty stepped up to begin singing, and others streamed in with various instruments and some with little statuettes. [color=CD5C5C]"It is too early!"[/color] Makisig complained, pointedly in Virangish as he handed Zarina her cheese. [color=CD5C5C]"Not even all the rooster is up yet!"[/color] He was grinning nonetheless, especially as she paid. Much of the village of Marawan was, in fact. It wasn't so long before Laya came over, dragging her younger brothers and Kalinaw with her. Tevhid could be seen briefly, walking briskly from his home to his workplace in the near distance and peering inquisitively over. Of İnşirah and Şirmerd, however, there was no sign. Much the same could be said for Malaki. For Zarina, this was novel to say the least. She backed up as to not inadvertently become the the centre of attention and watched the early morning musical display unfold. [color=#E5E4E2]“... Is this common everywhere else in Palapar?”[/color] she asked Emel, leaned in close tot keep the discussion between them, and to be audible in the increasingly loud display of high spirits. The whole village was here, and with more familiar faces showing up, she hoped her fellow countrymen would have indulged in some cultural fun. But, alas, they were not here. Nor was Malaki, surprisingly. While not concerned just yet, she met Laya's gaze, smiled, and approached. [color=#E5E4E2]“What a morning.”[/color] she began. [color=#E5E4E2]“Your dad's a bit too knackered after yesterday?”[/color] Emel leaned in. [color=pink]"The locals -"[/color] If the word was not, precisely, 'savages', then the tone implied it. [color=pink]"have all sorts of odd customs."[/color] She shrugged. [color=pink]"Far be it from me to know them all, though I do recall there was something about market day mornings."[/color] Some time passed and Zarina found herself given goat cheese. The goat who had made her his human the other day was left wandering free in the market clearing, grazing on patches of grass, and he found his way to her at least once. It was Laya who would offer more insight, however - at least, in theory. [color=7B68EE]"Yes,"[/color] she replied to Zarina's question, pairing it with a knowing roll of the eyes, [color=7B68EE]"it is only exhaustion that holds him back from joining his brother in celebration."[/color] she released a sigh and enjoyed some sort of fruity drink from a coconut shell. [color=#E5E4E2]“Celebration.”[/color] Zarina repeated. [color=#E5E4E2]“Is this a thing you do every day, or week? Or is this a special market morning?”[/color] she asked, her eyes on the festivities but her voice kept between herself and Laya. The goat had since found his way to the duo, with the blubbering being what caught Zarina's eye. [color=#E5E4E2]“Oh, hey you!”[/color] she chirped, kneeling down to tend to the needy buck with a healthy dose of pats. As the celebration continued, Zarina peered at Laya. [color=#E5E4E2]“What's your take on all of it?”[/color] the Virangish asked, her tone breaking off from the mundane positivity and veering more to the solemn. [color=#E5E4E2]“The potential new deal, the 'Pirang" being here, and your grandfather's previous dealings?”[/color] Laya leaned in response. [color=7B68EE]"This is a day to venerate our ancestors. It is customary to have a market and cheap prices."[/color] She kept her voice low. [color=7B68EE]"My uncle is smart. He is using this to gain support and to gib people the animals and seed they will need to split prom Pirang."[/color] She shook her head and her voice sunk still further. [color=7B68EE]"He also knows my pather will hab to come here soon. They will not pight in public."[/color] The music played and the tension both eased and grew, as the meat of Zarina's question lay unaddressed. [color=7B68EE]"I will be honest: I would like if we could buy the harbour, but where would we sell our products?"[/color] She shook her head. [color=7B68EE]"Nowhere, of course."[/color] The sounds of celebration washed over them and she continued. [color=7B68EE]"I do not like these Agha people and I do not trust them. They lied and tried to trick us into selling away our land and our preedom."[/color] She shook her head. [color=7B68EE]"My grandpa was a good man, but an idealistic pool, while [i]they[/i] knew exactly what they were doing."[/color] For a moment, Laya pursed her lips. [color=7B68EE]"But, now, they got caught with their hands in the cookie jar. I will not lie,"[/color] she assured Zarina matter-of-factly, turning to face the much taller woman. [color=7B68EE]"I am going along with this because we would not win ip we fought back and because all we parm now is sugarcane and we would starb."[/color] She shrugged. [color=7B68EE]"It is practical only. If the rebels win this war, I think Şirmerd and İnşirah will plee or hang prom trees."[/color] Her tone indicated that she did not like saying it, but she would not shy away from it either. [color=7B68EE]"Ip the Pirangish win, they will use their power to porce a worse deal on us. They cannot look weak against the 'sabages' or others will try to do what we are."[/color] She blinked a couple of times, uncomfortably, trying to present a smile as she watched the music and the dancers. A few young men were dancing particularly close to the pair. [color=7B68EE]"I am sorry ip this is not what you wanted to hear, but it is my honest opinion. Many - even Tevhid - think you Pirangish are helping us. We live in nicer houses now, so our lives must be better."[/color] She let out a snort. [color=7B68EE]"A nice house is not what gibs our libes meaning."[/color] She stretched out a hand to gesture at the revelry. [color=7B68EE]"This is."[/color] Maybe he had mistaken her outstretched hand for a signal, or maybe he was just opportunistic, but one of the young men who'd been dancing nearby reached out and took Laya's hand, saying something low and mischievous in Palaparese. He nodded respectfully in Zarina's direction and began to tug Laya towards the area where most of the people were dancing. [color=#E5E4E2]“I won't let that happen.”[/color] was Zarina's answer to the grim alternatives proposed. It was easy to miss for she didn't speak up to match the music. Her expression was serious and her body language going on the defensive, arms crossed and legs together. Not exactly an inviting demeanour, the young men would come to find. Even the goat had decided to stray away at that point for some delicious foliage nearby. With Laya's parting words, Zarina was left to think for a moment. [color=#E5E4E2]“Maybe not, but it definitely makes it nicer.”[/color] she had mumbled to herself. Her appetite for festivities had been drained by the discussion. With a few steps back, she had disengaged herself from it, preferring to watch from afar. And, eventually, she opted to trek up to the mansion to see how her fellow countrymen were doing. An opportunity to take in the bucolic and coastal sights, some familiar to her childhood, some of it completely foreign. It was a pretty land. From the scenes that Zarina passed, one might never have guessed how horrid its situation was. She walked ever uphill as the sun followed her, rising higher into the sweltering sky. Puddles from the night before dried quickly, and their humidity hung heavy over Marawan and - likely - the entire easter coast of Palapar. It was just as she was passing Laya's house that she spotted movement near the doorway: Malaki preparing to head out. He seemed to be wearing a special jacket and necklace of some sort. He carried, tenderly under his arm, a small statue, richly adorned. He had not noticed her yet, though she was perhaps only twenty or so meters past his place. In the meantime, however, small rushed footsteps - immediately recognizable as those of a child - came hurrying up from behind. It was Makisig, and his arms were flapping about wildly and his hair was pasted to his forehead in sweaty locks. [color=CD5C5C]"Mache -"[/color] He paused and took a couple of deep breaths before looking up at her quizzically. [color=CD5C5C]"Zarina, why you go?"[/color] Before Zarina could greet her main host, a man she had barely had the chance to interact with, Makisig intercepted her. [color=#E5E4E2]“Hi, Maki.”[/color] she stopped her ascent and glanced the boy's way with an evaluative look. [color=#E5E4E2]“I wanted to check on our Virangish guests, since they weren't at the market festival.”[/color] her hand rested on the hip that leaned out as she turned to acknowledge Malaki. [color=#E5E4E2]“Do you need a hand, Chief?”[/color] a smile came with that offer as she raised the aforementioned hand. Malaki looked up, taking a moment to locate her and process the request in his second language. He nodded, trotting over. [color=1E90FF]"Ah! Good see you!"[/color] However, he waved off any help. [color=1E90FF]"This is not something anyone help to, excep..."[/color] He trailed off and shrugged. [color=1E90FF]"Well, this... statue is -"[/color] [color=CD5C5C]"Granpa!"[/color] Maki exclaimed. Malaki nodded. [color=CD5C5C]"An you an pa will hold him!"[/color] Malaki paused. [color=CD5C5C]"An' nex year I will hold him!"[/color] [color=1E90FF]"You are to invite Şirmerd and İnşirah and Tevhid?"[/color] Malaki asked Zarina. Zarina caught on quickly, this was some sort of urn or equivalent. She nodded in understanding, and a second time to confirm her intentions. [color=#E5E4E2]“I was going to check on them. Would it be appropriate to assume they're welcome to join?”[/color] with her head canted and hands open in a static shrug as if she was pre-emptively trying to convince. [color=#E5E4E2]“I saw Laya, she said you were quite tired. Is there anything else I can do as I go up there to find the lot?”[/color] Malaki regarded her, brow furrowed. [color=1E90FF]"I..."[/color] He trailed off uncertainly. [color=1E90FF]"All people are welcome."[/color] He held up a hand and made a face of thought, perhaps trying to find a word. [color=1E90FF]"Some are more welcome. Some are less welcome."[/color] He nodded slowly, his eyes flicking to Makisig. [color=1E90FF]"Do you father like ip we bring the Pirang?"[/color] The boy shook his head immediately, but seemed to guess the constraint here and replied in his second language. [color=CD5C5C]"He say Pirang is bad."[/color] [color=1E90FF]"Do [i]you[/i] think they is bad?"[/color] Maki considered for a moment. Then, he shrugged. [color=CD5C5C]"They lie,"[/color] he came up with, after a moment. [color=CD5C5C]"And wanna make we slave."[/color] [color=1E90FF]"Is Zarina bad?"[/color] The boy's eyes darted between the two of them. [color=CD5C5C]"...No,"[/color] he answered. Zarina pursed her lips at the response. It seemed that, in spite of yesterday's strides, the distrust and resentment was not going to really budge. An situation that felt more and more impossible. She felt her heart accelerate when her name was brought up with a look of anticipation dedicated to Malaki. [color=#E5E4E2]“Hmmm.”[/color] the answer was a burden off her chest, but still, the concern lingered. [color=#E5E4E2]“I think they should attend. It's harder to deceive people you've made a connection with. They'll see you as people, now that you have their attention.”[/color] Malaki nodded, though he probably did not know every word that she used. He considered for a moment. [color=1E90FF]"You must to get them come."[/color] [color=CD5C5C]"Unh-uh!"[/color] Maki protested, suddenly adamant. [color=CD5C5C]"Tiyo, no! They hab no..."[/color] His face scrunched up as he searched for a word. [color=CD5C5C]"Ninuno!"[/color] Malaki help up a placating hand and thought some more. [color=1E90FF]"It is more good ip they hab ancestors and they hab none here in Marawan."[/color] He shook his head. [color=1E90FF]"Good ip they come. No big show. No talk bad about we. Show they people. Show we people."[/color] He nodded slowly. Zarina lit up at the now convinced Malaki. [color=#E5E4E2]“If I feel like it'll be a problem, I won't bring them.”[/color] she assured, now taking a couple of steps back toward the trail she had been taking. [color=#E5E4E2]“Maybe we can't fix things here, but I want to try, Mister Malaki.”[/color] with a burst of enthusiasm, she picked up the pace as she waved at them. [color=#E5E4E2]“Emel's there already, by the way!”[/color] [hr] There were no workers outside of the mansion, likely all celebrating at the square with the rest of the locals. There was, however, Tevhid who had been watching the festivities from the lush land owned by his superiors. He was quick to greet Zarina as she neared the property. [color=66CDAA]“Good morning, miss Al-Nader.”[/color] the skinny Virangish bureaucrat bowed his head politely. [color=66CDAA]“Was their festival not to your tastes?”[/color] Zarina replied with a wave and then a shake of her head. [color=#E5E4E2]“It’s not that.”[/color] she crossed the barrier delineating Virangish territory from the rest of Marawan. [color=#E5E4E2]“I had a thought. What do you think about coming, along with İnşirah and Şirmerd?”[/color] she opened arms as she offered the suggestion. Tehvid cocked his brows. [color=66CDAA]“That’s an interesting proposal.”[/color] [color=#E5E4E2]“Is it really?”[/color] she replied with a single brow raised. [color=66CDAA]“Pagan and superstitious practices are not my forte. Let alone this early …”[/color] lips pursed, his disinterest was palpable. [color=6B8E23]“So that’s what the noise is about.”[/color] passing by one of the opened windows was Şirmerd, shirtless with a pair of pants he wore for the night and indoor sandals. In his hand was a freshly brewed cup of coffee. He stepped out, barely offering more than an acknowledging glance to both. [color=6B8E23]“Not one for parties, Tevhid?”[/color] he smirked with a condescending tone toward his socially inferior employee. [color=6B8E23]“I don’t blame you, I may have to do something about that if it keeps on being a nuisance.”[/color] [color=#E5E4E2]“It’s not a regular thing.”[/color] Zarina corrected, arms crossed and her attention solely on the ‘man’ of the house. [color=#E5E4E2]“I figured you’d want to give it a chance, get to know these folks a-”[/color] [8:40 PM] [color=6B8E23]“I don’t think so. Some Savage dead-worshipping festival is far too morbid when one has a hangover like mine.”[/color] he took a sip from his hot beverage. It was İnşirah’s turn to make a sudden appearance, though she was a room away and out of sight. [color=olive]“The time of day hardly stops you these days.”[/color] the sister remarked with a voice that echoed through the home. [color=olive]“I think our friend Zarina has a point.”[/color] Tevhid tensed up a little at the validation. [color=olive]“If we want to avoid all chances of having our heads on spikes, making friends would be a wise decision.”[/color] [color=6B8E23]“You’ve nothing to fear so long as I’m here.”[/color] the brother retorted. [color=#E5E4E2]“They got me.”[/color] Zarina’s rebuttal came with partial humor, but the challenging glint in her eye wasn’t missed by the nobleman. [color=6B8E23]“If they managed to shoot you, I can’t imagine we are comparable.”[/color] then, he paused. He was about to say something else, but stopped himself. The Al-Nader rotated her once aching shoulder as if it was brand new. İnşirah chuckled, having noticed the change the moment she had sensed Zarina. [color=6B8E23]“I, for one, like my head where it is. And besides,”[/color] the noblewoman emerged from the entrance, dressed more humbly than her arrival, but with decorations and colours that befit a woman of her status. [color=6B8E23]“where’s your sense of adventure? Savagery is part of that.”[/color] she flashed a complicit smile to the teen she had initially mixed feelings towards. The initiative to consider them reassured her. Tehvid scratched his cheek and nodded. [color=66CDAA]“Gaining some good will wouldn’t hurt our strategy.”[/color] Zarina snorted. [color=#E5E4E2]“Strategy, eh?”[/color] she resisted the urge to call him a nerd. [color=#E5E4E2]“It’ll be loads of fun. Laya’s been having a blast with a few lads down there.”[/color] her eyes narrowed into a foxy look as she watched Tevhid reach for his shirt collar for some air. Şirmerd scoffed. [color=6B8E23]“On a nice morning like this?”[/color] [color=olive]“Come on, Şirmerd!”[/color] As much as her tried to stonewall these women, the academy dropout’s lack of restraint for anything remotely stimulating was what got him. [color=6B8E23]“Fine. But-”[/color] he raised his half-full cup of coffee as he prepared his stipulation. [color=6B8E23]“I’ll be bringing Grandmother Gülcan. Or whatever kind of statuette they like to have to represent them.”[/color] İnşirah furrowed her eyebrows, slightly perplexed, and then peered at Zarina. Tevhid nervously looked and did a double take between the teen and the two nobles. [color=#E5E4E2]“I think …”[/color] Zarina thought for a moment, her arms tightened up around her core. [color=#E5E4E2]“I can arrange that.”[/color] [color=6B8E23]"Just as well,"[/color] Şirmerd answered, downing the rest of the now-lukewarm drink, [color=6B8E23]"because I wouldn't be coming without her."[/color] He clapped the empty mug down on a nearby end table, stretched dramatically, and made for the stairs and his dressing room. [color=6B8E23]"If you do something you've not done before, you'd best do it right."[/color] Tevhid managed not to roll his eyes, though he was, perhaps, not a believer. [color=66CDAA]"I recommend you go ahead and... prepare them,"[/color] he shared, leaning in and lowering his voice as İnşirah dashed over to her room, calling one of the few remaining maids to her side. [color=66CDAA]"He shall either fly or else steer us into a shoal."[/color] He shook his head. [color=66CDAA]"With the young lord, there is precious little in between."[/color] [color=#E5E4E2]“I figured.”[/color] Zarina said to Tevhid before turning on her heels and retracing her steps back to the square. [color=#E5E4E2]“Make sure they're adequately prepared for the event, yeah?”[/color] With a brisk pace, perhaps even a little bit of gift-stretching as her manas regained their vigour, Zarina arrived at the festival itself with Malaki's recognizable face as her target. The merrymaking and dancing had come to a temporary halt as she arrived, and a good number of people gathered about the square, quietly singing and humming, with baskets full of their gifts and purchases. It was, ironically, despite the village's recent monetary wealth, a poorer festival than it had been even five years previous. Singlehandedly half of the goods produced came from Manalo and his family. Most of the remainder had been shipped in. He stood in a place of honour, his brother Malaki beside him and, they were a study in both convergences and contrasts: the same facial shape, the same above-average height and broad shoulders, the same bearing of (slightly compensatory) pride. And yet the younger of the two seemed very much the younger and the wilder, with his long hair and leathery tanned skin, his firm wiry muscles, and his sturdy simple clothing. Malaki, by contrast, had the same foundation, but he had grown softer and lighter, with a well-trimmed mustache and beard and clothes imported from the capitol. Yet, if there was to be a power struggle between the two, it had been delayed by their mother, for it was Lumi who occupied the place of foremost honour. Old but still sturdy enough, she carried a statue of her husband and placed it on a small stage. The brothers followed with two more statues depicting people who must've been relatives. Soon, there were quite a good number up there, and these were followed by fruits, by flowers, by seashells, by small frond-woven figurines and simple articles of clothing. Malaki and Manalo stood together but apart, both with their arms crossed, as their wives chatted with separate groups of women and their sons and daughters fluttered through the crowd, laughing and playing when they were not forced to be solemn by ceremony. Not so far away was old grandma Lumi, wearing some sort of special outfit, lighting incense and praying before the statues. A handful of other older folk joined her. That was when Emel fluttered up to Zarina. [color=pink]"Oh thank the dreamer!"[/color] she began, [color=pink]"I was beginning to think you'd never make it back."[/color] She leaned in and lowered her voice. [color=pink]"How'd it go? What's next?"[/color] Zarina did not like being the center of attention in an event that she did not set up. Her return had landed eyes on her and slowed down the festivities, or perhaps it was a mere coincidence that she had arrived in tandem with the next step of their celebration. In any case, Emel's reaching out was a relief. [color=#E5E4E2]“They're coming.”[/color] Zarina answered, her voice not nearly as hushed as Emel's. [color=#E5E4E2]“And they want to be part of the ceremony. Stone and all of their grandmother.”[/color] again, her voice wasn't meant to be loud but carried enough to potentially get some attention. Regardless of reactions, however, she then approached both brothers. For a moment she stood silent, a bit stiff, as she waited for a moment where chattering had died down a little. [color=#E5E4E2]“Malaki. Manalo. The Agha, his sister and Tevhid wish to join the celebration. They will be coming shortly.”[/color] she knitted her hands together before her abdomen. [color=#E5E4E2]“Lord Sirmerd insisted on one thing. He wishes to have his late grandmother commemorated too.”[/color] she paused to take in the reactions. [color=#E5E4E2]“I believe that, if we're to build actual bonds and trust, it is important that all must feel like they're a part of the land they live on.”[/color] [color=B22222]"The land they have stolen,"[/color] snapped Manalo, twisting to regard his brother's reaction. Malaki said, more or less, nothing. In fact, he reacted, after a moment, only to Zarina. [color=1E90FF]"All people welcome, long as they respecting our tradition and not making fun."[/color] Manalo snorted and seethed. [color=1E90FF]"You don't agree, brother?"[/color] [abbr= They are not from here.][color=B22222]"Hindi sila taga rito,"[/color][/abbr] Manalo replied tersely. [abbr= Neither is your guest.][color=B22222]"Hindi rin ang bisita mo."[/color][/abbr] [color=1E90FF]"Maybe,"[/color] Malaki allowed, [color=1E90FF]"but she is my guest, and you shall not harm she."[/color] Manalo's breathing was fast and heavy. His fists clenched and, after a moment, he whirled on his brother. [color=B22222]"And these Agha? These other Pirang?"[/color] he snarled, [color=B22222]"Are they your guest too?"[/color] Malaki looked him square in the eyes. [color=1E90FF]"They are father's guest."[/color] Manalo had been goaded, but had the wherewithal to avoid speaking ill of the dead on a festival in which they were involved. He merely fumed and seethed. Zarina was the awkward child between two parents arguing. For how tall she was, she felt quite small at this moment. It did eventually simmer down with Malaki keeping to Virangish when his brother opted for the tongue she knew little of. [color=#E5E4E2]“Is that an okay, then?”[/color] perking up, she politely smiled at Malaki. [color=B22222]"And, like alway, only [i]his[/i] opinion you listen, because you disagree me."[/color] Manalo shook his head. [color=B22222]"That man - Sir Merde - do not care us. He will make fun us. he will threat us. I say -"[/color] [color=1E90FF]"All who come here peace can come,"[/color] said Malaki quietly but firmly. [color=1E90FF]"You no listen this rule because you disagree it?"[/color] [color=#E5E4E2]“Hey, I'm just saying give it a chance.”[/color] Zarina shrugged at Manalo. [color=#E5E4E2]“If it goes wrong, then you'll have all the bullets you need to shut us down, right?”[/color] Manalo regarded her with narrowed eyes. A handful of people had noticed the growing tension between the three, though Zarina had tried not to add to it. [color=B22222]"This is not a game. This is our culture. He not care for it."[/color] Malaki sighed tiredly, but there was some pushback to the gesture as well. [color=1E90FF]"Culture will not feed people, brother."[/color] He shook his head. [color=1E90FF]"Culture will not change sugar is worth much moneys."[/color] He shook it again. [color=1E90FF]"Culture will not change poreign peoples is want come to our country por buy and selling."[/color] He shook his head a final time, adamantly. [color=1E90FF]"We cannot go back way it were before. Maybe, ip I decide again, I will change some thing. I will look more at what pather sign."[/color] His eyes went to the statue and he closed them for a second. [color=1E90FF]"I will hab you there."[/color] They went, next, to his younger brother, who had been trying to keep up with them since they had been boys. [color=1E90FF]"I will make the Pirang sign the promise."[/color] His nodding trailed off, pensive. [color=1E90FF]"But I will not to change my choice. The world is change. We must to change with it."[/color] They stood there, regarding each other. [color=1E90FF]"I know I make some mistake before."[/color] He pressed a hand to his chest. [color=1E90FF]"This is not me try to protec me prom they. I think this is really we best chance."[/color] For a lingering moment, Manalo was silent. Lumi's attention was on them both. Perhaps she did not understand the foreign words that her sons had learned, for the world [i]had[/i] left her behind, as it inevitably tended to pass by those whose youths had been lived in times long past, but she seemed to grasp the nature and the gravity of the conversation. [color=B22222]"He will hurt us,"[/color] the younger of the two replied, by means of capitulation. [color=B22222]"He will hurt us and you will see."[/color] [abbr= Brother][color=1E90FF]"Kapatid..."[/color][/abbr] [color=B22222]"I will be there to try save you, Malaki."[/color] His eyes went to Zarina. [color=B22222]"You will be there too."[/color] He bowed his head. Ever the dutiful listener, Zarina kept quiet as the brothers levelled with each other. It ended with Manalo grimly conceding. A conclusion as good as it could get before the sensitive part was about to happen. She nodded back to the man before stepping back into the crowd and making her way to the Virangish who, if she was lucky, were already on their way down at this point. [color=#E5E4E2]“You're good.”[/color] she began with a thumbs up to go with it. [color=#E5E4E2]“But-”[/color] she raised her hand to touch the Lord's bicep. [color=#E5E4E2]“Whether this mends things or not, remembering the dead is sacred for us too. Something in you tells me you know this more than anyone here. That is why I vouched for you.”[/color] The town of Kalubay hunkered on a narrow strip of land on Palapar's east coast. Surrounding it on three sides were hills that graduated to mountains and, on the fourth, the ocean. It was the only town of significance between Betalo, to the south, and Landanao at the country's far northern tip. It was here that news of the happenings in Ceboyan a few days prior arrived on the mouths of sailors who had embarked from the capital as matters began to spiral out of control. It spread as the morning went on, and was soon on everyone's lips. The town perched on a precipice as its neighbours in Marawan, some twenty kilometers to the north, danced and sung and honoured their ancestors. The news would've been of great interest to a particular buyer of excess produce who had hired out a delivery for very early that morning. It was so early, in fact, that the wagon had left during the night and its owners did not hear the news. So it was that Manalo remained blissfully - or perhaps not - unaware of the immense change that had been wrought. Maybe he would not have agreed with Zarina and his brother in that case. Maybe, he would've. Such things are not easy to say for certain. What [i]was[/i] beyond a doubt was that the news [i]would[/i] reach him, and in no more than a day. Şirmerd did not outright recoil from Zarina's touch, but it was clear that he had neither expected nor particularly welcomed it. [color=6B8E23]"I am [i]well[/i] aware,"[/color] he retorted. Perhaps there was only so much she could do to ameliorate some... aspects of his... [i]winning[/i] personality. Then, however, he softened. [color=6B8E23]"I shall play whatever part I need, within reason. Rest assured."[/color] His eyes roved across the landscape for a moment. [color=6B8E23]"I've no desire to return to Virang or the academy."[/color] He shook his head. [color=6B8E23]"Stifling place."[/color] [color=66CDAA]"And I [i]do[/i] believe that we're doing these people a service, whether or not they will see is as such immediately,"[/color] Tevhid interjected. [color=66CDAA]"There are... aspects of their culture that are admirable. If they can be brought under the banner of modernity, they may have much to give, in turn."[/color] He had been remote the previous night, hunched over his books, reading and furiously writing. He carried much paper in his leather satchel. [color=66CDAA]"They must see it,"[/color] he decided, [color=66CDAA]"most especially one like Laya."[/color] He turned to Zarina. [color=66CDAA]"She did, before, you know: before I had to play my part, back when we were... friends."[/color] They were drawing nearer, now, to the point at which the winding road up to the large plantation met with the road heading south towards Kalubay. They were nearly at the intersection, with its direction post and horse post and couple of simple shelters, when they noticed a woman headed towards them. She had fair hair and a large puffy dress and was hurrying over from the gathering in the village square. [color=#E5E4E2]“I know.”[/color] was Zarina answer to Tevhid. A bittersweet smile came with it before she peered at the scenery just as Sirmerd had. She had gotten used to exotic landscapes, at this point, and they began to feel like home, in a way. Hopefully these envoys of the Agha-to-be could adopt it rather than just own it. Zarina stopped to squint at the figure growing bigger in its approach. A woman in a dress, something she didn't often see around these parts. Her first instinct was that it was Emel. She raised her hand in salute. [color=pink]"Zarina!"[/color] she squealed. [color=pink]"There you are!"[/color] She huffed and puffed as she continued up the hill. [color=pink]"I was looking for you down there."[/color] She fell in beside them, taking Zarina's arm for support and taking a moment to catch her breath. She fanned herself with her free hand. [color=pink]"Ugh. This heat makes even [i]home[/i] seem cool."[/color] She heaved one last breath - or was it a sigh? - and changed subjects. [color=pink]"That's not why I'm here, though."[/color] She shook her head and let go of Zarina's arm. [color=pink]"People suspect that your lordship is coming down."[/color] She glanced Şirmerd's way and bowed her head slightly and deferentially. [color=pink]"I also believe that it is perhaps a matter of a day or less before news of Ceboyan reaches the village."[/color] She gestured at the road. [color=pink]"We should look to control the message."[/color] Her eyes met Zarina's for a moment and flashed significantly, as if there were more to say... in confidence. Zarina rested a hand onto Emel's shoulder as she recuperated from her journey to reach them. The notion of news spreading had occurred to her, but the distorted sense of time induced by her brief coma made her forget how quickly it could reach these parts. [color=#E5E4E2]“If Manalo ...”[/color] she sucked in her lips and twisted to regard her fellow Virangish. [color=#E5E4E2]“Regardless, news will arrive here one way or another. What exactly are we gaining from delaying the inevitable? At least you have me here when it happens.”[/color] [color=olive]"What appears to be the matter?"[/color] İnşirah inquired, and Emel glanced between her and Zarina. Her eyes flashed and she grabbed the latter's arm with surprising strength as Tevhid and İnşirah leaned in. Şirmerd was a little bit ahead on his horse, a pack mule behind him with the statue. [color=pink]"I... have a suspicion that, were news to arrive at the wrong time, it might completely scuttle negotiations."[/color] She knitted her brows together. [color=pink]"This is an immensely delicate moment."[/color] Their elbows were locked together. [color=pink]"In any case, I am eager to see it delivered well, and to get back to the festivities. Might you accompany me to help set the stage -"[/color] Her voice dropped. [color=pink]"- before our lord makes his grand entrance unattended."[/color] She picked up her pace, not letting go of the taller woman. [color=#E5E4E2]“Purposefully stifling communication and then being found out can lead those that side with us to think that we're still trying to con them.”[/color] Zarina brought up, the arm coiled tightly around Emel's. [color=#E5E4E2]“Let's say we DO want to control this situation, then I'd suggest getting-”[/color] a very brief pause, long enough for her to pull her gaze toward Tevhid. [color=#E5E4E2]“Laya to help. She probably knows the folks that pass by and getting her looped in could be good for our image.”[/color] she proposed while keeping up with Emel. Then, Zarina felt a pinch, and another. [color=pink][/color] Emel's voice went on in harmless banter for a moment longer, but she spoke beneath it in another language. [color=pink][/color] She switched to something more audible the moment they were out of earshot. [color=pink]"I can sense them,"[/color] she concluded. [color=pink]"I don't care what you do. I'm about as martially inclined as a butterfly, but we need to do something, and quickly."[/color] Zarina blinked. [color=#E5E4E2]“How-”[/color] she stopped walking just for a second. [color=#E5E4E2]“How do you know that?”[/color] Emel regarded her evenly for a moment, her gaze almost... reproachful. Then, it rapidly directed itself at the ground and away. [color=pink]"I have... a strange and unnatural mana type,"[/color] she replied simply. [color=pink]"And I have been to Kalubay before."[/color] She gestured in the broad direction of the road. [color=pink]"I have walked that road before as well."[/color] She shrugged. [color=pink]"My family holds lands near Betalo, after all, at Orange Point."[/color] She did not lose her focus, however. [color=pink]"Now, what are we doing about those eight men?"[/color] she demanded. [color=#E5E4E2]“Huh.”[/color] Zarina had her answer, but it didn't really elucidate much. But it was enough. [color=#E5E4E2]“I still think roping in someone like Laya or her father would help our case more than machinations and the image of deceit from the Virangish again.”[/color] she said, adamant on her stance. [color=#E5E4E2]“If we can't have even some degree of mutual trust, this whole deal is doomed anyway. But I do agree that we need to keep the younger brother pacified. The man wants a fight, but is principled enough to need a good reason for one.”[/color] Emel shrugged. [color=pink]"Do as you will. Just... do it quickly, I'd say."[/color] With that, the two of them were at the intersection, Şirmerd just a handful of yards ahead of them and no more than a couple minutes from the fringe of the gathering. Zarina nodded. Before leaving and as they parted, she squeezed Emel's hand slightly. She did not speak but her gaze communicated a brief 'thank you' before she took a step back and went on to find Laya in the crowd. Once she could pick out the girl, she gently tapped the chief's daughter's shoulder for her attention. [color=#E5E4E2]“We have a situation.”[/color] she whispered right by Laya's ear. [color=#E5E4E2]“One that could make our efforts to mend things null.”[/color] Laya turned on the spot. [color=7B68EE]"It's not my uncle,"[/color] she replied, [color=7B68EE]"is it."[/color] This wasn't a question but, rather, a statement of fact. [color=7B68EE]"News prom the town, then."[/color] She glanced in the direction of the road south. [color=7B68EE]"How do you think we handle this?"[/color] However, Şirmerd was less than a minute behind her and, already, people had begun to notice his arrival. The festive atmosphere shifted noticeably as the Hours of Oraff peaked. He rode a great black stallion and, behind him, strapped to the back of a long-suffering pack mule, was a marble statue of a regal-looking older Virangish woman. With a flourish, the Agha's son - effectively Agha in his own right - dismounted. [color=6B8E23]"This is the prosperity festival, then?"[/color] he announced, though virtually none could understand him. Zarina nodded, her gaze devoted to keeping track of Sirmerd who had since made his entrance. [color=#E5E4E2]“That's it.”[/color] she confirmed. [color=#E5E4E2]“And I wanted your input. I think we need to keep this moment insulated from outside news. Otherwise it would be all for naught.”[/color] she said, her voice still a whisper as Sirmerd remarked on the nature of the celebration. [color=#E5E4E2]“But I wanted to consult with you and-”[/color] she pursed her lips in light hesitation. [color=#E5E4E2]“perhaps help me get these eight soon-to-be arrivals away from Marawan, at least for now.”[/color] For a moment, Laya looked Zarina's way and something wary flashed across her features. [color=7B68EE]"And me,"[/color] she said quietly. [color=7B68EE]"I'll also be away."[/color] Her eyes darted towards Şirmerd as he dismounted from his horse, and to the other Virangish now approaching. Her father had stepped into the role of translator, while Manalo had faded further into the crowd, surrounded by a handful of other men with skeptical expressions. She regarded Zarina again. [color=7B68EE]"Promise me that I am not just selling Marawan's puture, it's preedom, and its potential to predators,"[/color] she demanded quietly, walking towards something like a pen where people had stored their belongings. [color=7B68EE]"Promise me that, if these people lie, you will stand with us and hold them accountable."[/color] Zarina inhaled deeply as she saw the stage set for what could become a tragedy. When asked to promise, there was a delay - not a lack of resolve or hesitation, but a worry that she'd have to do what she didn't want to. [color=#E5E4E2]“On my life and honour, I will hold them accountable.”[/color] she uttered. [color=#E5E4E2]“Our homes are bound to one another. I will fight to my last breath for it.”[/color] There was nothing dramatic. Laya simply nodded and reached into the pen to pick up her belongings. She stretched and took a deep breath. [color=7B68EE]"Liwayway!"[/color] she called, [color=7B68EE]"Tiya!"[/color] Another local young woman perked up. Laya turned back to Zarina. [color=7B68EE]"I'll handle this. You hold up your end."[/color] Naught but a minute later, three young women slipped away from the gathering. All of the Virangish had now arrived. Şirmerd stood at their head, his eyes traveling across the crowd. He did not call upon any servants or anybody at all to help him. He merely gestured towards İnşirah and walked towards his pack mule. He began undoing the straps that held the statue onto its back. Behind him, his sister opened the twin packs on hers. Tevhid and Emel gathered around her and began to take items - spices, combs, perfumes, and luxuries - from these. The lord himself, meanwhile, had finished. He went to lift the statue and was just about to when a voice rang out. [color=B22222]"Why you come here, foreign man?"[/color] It was Manalo, and he stood before the platform, arms crossed over his chest challengingly. [color=B22222]"What you want?"[/color] Zarina responded to Laya with a nod of her own. They had an accord, and it was her turn to perform. And her first trial came under the form of the notorious obstacle ever since her arrival. Manalo challenged Sirmerd in the midst of the ceremony. A younger Zarina, one prior to San Augustin, An Zenui or even meeting her Tarlonese connections, would have made an offhand remark and even stepped up. But patience was a virtue she had cultivated. Instead, she looked at Sirmerd and shot him the same solemn nod she had given Laya. [color=6B8E23]"I wish to answer this man,"[/color] he called out, [color=6B8E23]"but I need a translator: Someone who speaks both tongues who people will trust."[/color] He cast about, eyes sweeping over various villagers, Lumi, Makisig, Tevhid, and Malaki. The company man glanced over at İnşirah and then at Zarina and made to step forward, but Malaki's eyes also scanned the crowd and he, too, made to do the same. İnşirah glanced at Zarina and then around for any others who might be able to speak beyond reproach. A choice, one that prompted her to sweep through the group of people just as Malaki had. It didn't take her long. Her eyes found Makisig and she winked his way. [color=#E5E4E2]“Think you're the right [i]man[/i] for the job, Maki?”[/color] she playfully smiled his way. [color=#E5E4E2]“Your dad trusts you. Your uncle trusts you. And you were my first friend here. I choose you.”[/color] Maki's eyes darted from Zarina to his father, his uncle, and Şirmerd. He swallowed. [color=CD5C5C]"I..."[/color] The boy hesitated, but Malaki had caught on. [color=1E90FF]"I say that Makisig fill the need,"[/color] he announced. [color=1E90FF]"I trust your son and I think you do too."[/color] Manalo's eyes widened. They snapped to the eleven-year-old and the boy flinched back for a moment. Malaki nodded and then, after a moment, Manalo softened as well. Tevhid, about to announce himself as translator, paused. [color=CD5C5C]"I... I can do it,"[/color] Maki promised, bowing his head slightly. [color=CD5C5C]"What you say, I translate."[/color] He swallowed. [color=CD5C5C]"My Pirang is not perpect but I will do best I can."[/color] Şirmerd looked him over for a second. [color=6B8E23]"Alright. That works for me. Just do your best, kid, huh?"[/color] Maki nodded again and shuffled up beside the richly-dressed Virangishman. Şirmerd cleared his throat and clutched the statue of his grandmother. [color=6B8E23]"Join me, sister."[/color] Dutifully, Maki repeated his words in Palaparese. İnşirah stepped up beside her brother, carrying a small chest of valuables. [color=6B8E23]"This,"[/color] he began, [color=6B8E23]"is an offering."[/color] He gestured towards it, and then towards the stage. [color=6B8E23]"And this -"[/color] he indicated the statue, [color=6B8E23]"Is my grandmother, to whom I owe my prosperity."[/color] He waited a moment as Maki struggled with a few words. [color=6B8E23]"I wish to honour her here because this is the place where I live."[/color] Manalo scowled. [color=B22222]"You live here now, but this land..."[/color] He shook his head. [color=B22222]"Not yours. You try steal."[/color] He stabbed the air in Tevhid's direction with a pointer. [color=B22222]"This man help you. Now you want us trust?"[/color] He shifted to look Zarina up and down. [color=B22222]"Now she is here. Where is she come from and why? Now she say new deal."[/color] He crossed his arms and waited for a response. Manalo couldn't hold his tongue and Zarina's patience, although bolstered through experience, was quickly being chipped away. But she abstained from talking until attention was brought to her. She did not miss an opportunity to respond. [color=#E5E4E2]“I was hurt and your people helped me. I want to help - I wanted to ever since I came here, but now my drive to truly making a difference for you folks has grown massively.”[/color] she took a step forward into the proverbial spotlight. [color=#E5E4E2]“It is true, deception and a lack of understanding led to mismanagement of relations and lopsided deals. I want to fix that, because we Virangish - we TRUE Virangish,”[/color] she gestured toward the two lords and even Tevhid. [color=#E5E4E2]“are honourable. Our prosperity now depends on yours too. With young minds getting at the helm of operations here, we can improve what's been tarnished and continue to help Palapar prosper.”[/color] After the embellished speech, Zarina actually went into the concrete, signaled by her hands going behind her back. [color=#E5E4E2]“I see two ways we can go here.”[/color] speaking up with words that Makisig could better understand, she continued. [color=#E5E4E2]“The first is, though a contract based on trust, we continue with the purchase of the land with Lord Sirmerd as the Lord of the fief - of Marawan. But it would be fair, your earnings mostly kept to feed your families and grow your homes, your rights as Palaparese free men and women uncompromised. In return he will protect you, make sure the company keeps business running with Marawan and use his connections with Virang to receive funds for projects that would improve your lives evern further.”[/color] one hand emerged from her back and rose to signal that was the first option. [color=#E5E4E2]“The second is you buy back your port, as well as investments put into maintaining it. A fair price, and not the current existing one, revised by the trading company's erroneous accountancy - money management.”[/color] she clarified. [color=#E5E4E2]“Marawan would own its port and remain a strategic hub for sugar cane trading. Mister Tevhid will draft the numbers and it will be reviewed by myself, Chief Malaki, Mister Manalo and Laya.”[/color] Judiciously, Maki did not translate Zarina's words as 'chief'. Meanwhile, Şirmerd replied. [color=6B8E23]"Yeah."[/color] He shrugged uncomfortably. [color=6B8E23]"We came here based on a lie. I won't put it any other way. Now,"[/color] he continued, [color=6B8E23]"I wasn't a part of that. I didn't make that decision. I didn't see Marawan on a map somewhere and decide, 'this would be a great place to steal for myself.' It [i]was[/i] a decision that my family made, though." [/color] He stood there, holding the statue, Manalo still interposed between him and the stage. [color=6B8E23]"As much as we are not our parents and their parents, their actions build us and so we have to be responsible for some of those. I understand this and I think that all of you do."[/color] He nodded slowly, looking around the village, and he cast something of an absurd figure, this foreign man in rich clothes, clutching a marble statue that in no way matched the villagers, his words being translated by a boy. [color=6B8E23]"This is not a proper statue of my ancestor, but I chose my grandmother because she gave me something, too."[/color] He shook his head. [color=6B8E23]"Many of you fear me. You know I have power in the Gift. You know I have threatened to use it."[/color] He pursed his lips. [color=6B8E23]"But I have realized, these past few days, that I would only ever use it against something instead of using it [i]for[/i] something."[/color] He readjusted his grip on the marble. It was rather heavy. [color=6B8E23]"The truth is that I have nothing."[/color] That comment drew a few snorts, and murmurs built throughout the crowd. [color=6B8E23]"Oh, I have nice clothes and a large house and a good sister who has done far too much for me, but..."[/color] He paused and took a deep breath. [color=6B8E23]"It's all very empty. I have so little that I care about, so little that cares about [i]me[/i], and I haven't since I left Ersand'Enise."[/color] Suddenly, Şirmerd dropped to one knee. [color=6B8E23]"People of Marawan, I wish to be your agha. I shall use my money, my power, and my status to protect you and help you prosper - be safe and make money and live good lives. In return, all that I ask is that you give me a chance to earn your trust and that you trust me with some of what you earn. This port is not free. The company lied to you if they ever made you think that. They should not have. It is not free. It takes money to run."[/color] He gestured, then, to Tevhid. [color=6B8E23]"The school that he wishes to build will not be free, but it will make your lives better. Your children will know their letters in at least two languages. They will get good jobs and have plenty."[/color] He indicated İnşirah [color=6B8E23]"The roads my sister wants to build will make trade come to Marawan. It will bring exciting new things and new people here. It will make it faster, easier, and safer to travel to Kalubay or Landanao or even across the mountains."[/color] The young lord pressed his hand to his grandmother's likeness last of all. [color=6B8E23]"She was the last one, aside from dear İnşirah, who cared for me. She cared for all, in fact. My grandmother, Gülcan, would've wanted to have a binder here, and an apothecary, that the people who I watch over would not suffer from illness or injury."[/color] He rose, even as Maki was still speaking, and walked right up to the stage, until there was perhaps only a foot separating him and Manalo. [color=6B8E23]"That is why I wish to honour her today. I wish to honour her and show my commitment to this village. You did not ask for me,"[/color] he admitted. [color=6B8E23]"I came here suddenly and unwelcome, but we will all lose if we work against each other."[/color] He shook his head. [color=6B8E23]"I have seen it down south. I have thought that way and it only made me unhappy."[/color] He looked Manalo, Malaki, Lumi, and Makisig in the eyes. [color=6B8E23]"I ask you to let me pass and add to your prosperity."[/color] Whether Zarina believed it or not didn't matter at this time. What did was whether the people did. And so, she began to clap while looking at Makisig with an expectant look. She had nominated him, perhaps he could follow the script to finish his job properly. [color=#E5E4E2]“People of Marawan, Agha Sirmerd. A fellow Ersand'Enise scholar, and a man striving for a better future.”[/color] she announced in closing. [color=#E5E4E2]“To Marawan's future!”[/color] without a glass to toast with, she could only cheer. Makisig looked at Zarina and began to clap. He looked at his father, then, and trailed off for a moment. Thankfully, Emel had taken it up and, after a moment, Malaki. Manalo stood firm for a moment, until his mother looked between her two sons and flashed the younger of the pair an apologetic face. She, too, began to clap. Manalo's fists clenched before he forced them to relax, and he let out a quick snort. [color=B22222]"Anyone who live here can put his ancestor on the wood."[/color] He stepped aside, expression inscrutable, and Şirmerd stepped forward, bowing his head briefly in thanks. Had Manalo not returned the gesture, he'd have looked like the bad one, and so he did. Grandma Gülcan took her place among the ancestors of Marawan as İnşirah and Tevhid and Emel began to hand out the wares they had brought. One by one, with Şirmerd and Malaki presiding over matters, the villages came and took of the bounty. They wore the necklaces and opened the spices, and ran the combs through their hair. All who were there took part, in some way, but for Manalo. He turned and walked away from the feast that he had started. [hr] The jovial mood of the festival lingered after the unexpected twist, even as an air of uncertainty scarred the day. The future of Marawan remained unclear, but at the very least there wasn't a clear 'losing' outcome, or at least it appeared to be the case. Zarina had indulged in a few different Palaperese fruity drinks and dishes of both Coastal Virangish and Marawan make, sharing many pleasantries with her fellow countrywomen as much as she did with Laya, Lumi and Malaki. She almost lamented the absence of Manalo, a man she would have liked to know more. Alas, what was starting to feel like a vacation in a time where many of her own were dying had to come to a close. The falling sun made way for a fresher breeze from the sea without a storm cloud in sight. It felt like home, in a way, which was a comfort. She had almost forgotten that she could simply zip anywhere she had known, even as her power was still recuperating. She did so, just once, for an errand, but her job wasn't quite finished. Sirmerd had retreated to his new home. Like Manalo, the mysterious special inquisitor hadn't had much of an interaction with him in the festival. This was to be rectified. She was in the drawing room with a bottle of old Perrench vintage being served into her own cup. [color=#E5E4E2]“That was a beautiful speech.”[/color] she began, her voice a light purr and completely distinct from the almost naive and conciliatory tone she held the entire time they had met. Something had changed about her. It wasn't the clothes or the look, but rather her composure. A simple glance in her being would show she was, in a way, 'whole' compared to before. There was also an armband tied tightly to her bicep. [color=#E5E4E2]“Did you mean it, Sirmerd?”[/color] The agha in all but name tilted his head, still busy writing and preparing to send out his correspondence. He leaned back and considered, concluding with something like a shrug. [color=6B8E23]"When I was a boy, I was lucky enough to meet the Sultan. I don't remember the context or much else, but I remember a question that he asked: what makes a great speaker?"[/color] He reached for the drink and poured himself some, swirling it about in the cup for a moment and reaching out with his senses, just to be sure. [color=6B8E23]"Some said that it was rhetorical skill."[/color] He sipped. [color=6B8E23]"Others maintained that it was passion.[/color] He set the cup down. [color=6B8E23]"Still others insisted that the key was something less obvious, like context or pacing or body language."[/color] A fly that had been buzzing around the room settled on a bunch of grapes and set about its work. [color=6B8E23]"But one of the older boys - I can't recall his name, in any case - proposed that it was coming in with a clear understanding of what you wanted to do and how you would achieve it."[/color] He shifted position and regarded Zarina evenly. [color=6B8E23]"The Sultan looked his way and nodded and added one other element."[/color] Outside, crickets chirped in the whispering fields of sugarcane. [color=6B8E23]"You needed both an objective and passion. The best leaders are able to take their genuine emotion and, instead of being ruled by it, use it to rule others."[/color] He lifted the cup to his lips a second time. [color=6B8E23]"I am not so naive as I was in my time at the academy."[/color] There was a small swell in magic and something changed in the drink. [color=6B8E23]"I suppose, these past few years, I've been mourning the death of that, but I am past it now."[/color] He nodded slowly. [color=6B8E23]"Make no mistake: I've little desire to play the grand game for personal glory."[/color] He shrugged, sipping again. [color=6B8E23]"I've even less room for bleary-eyed idealism. No."[/color] He set it down. [color=6B8E23]"I shall rule these people in earnest, but I intend to leave them the space that they desire to feel themselves their own masters."[/color] Momentarily, he glanced out the window as the sun began to set. His Gift swelled and, suddenly, the room's lamps were lit. [color=6B8E23]"A horse does not resent his bridle, Zarina, so long as he is fed and housed, but people, who wear them just the same, must never feel them. Then, and only then, do they have a shot at happiness. Then, and only then -"[/color] He took a moment to gesture, broadly, at their surroundings - at everything. [color=6B8E23]"Does all of this work."[/color] He smiled softly and sat his wine down as the final ray of sun disappeared and its light gave way to dusk. [color=#E5E4E2]“It sounds to me,”[/color] Zarina had finished her glass by the time Sirmerd's speech had reach its end. A speech that, in a way, fit the criteria he had just cited. [color=#E5E4E2]“like you needed to be given another chance. You made it hard with that jaded demeanour you arrived with..”[/color] she chuckled. [color=#E5E4E2]“I'm still unsure if it's all just speech but I choose to trust you still.”[/color] she sighed as her eyes found the deep orange of dusk that was mostly hidden by the nearby hills. [color=#E5E4E2]“I'm holding you accountable for this place's wellbeing.”[/color] she stated matter of factly. [color=#E5E4E2]“And I'll also do the same with Manalo. I will be back. I will restore proper order to this island.”[/color] both her hands cupped her glass as she stood up to pace by the drawing room's table until she neared the exit. [color=#E5E4E2]“Use my name if Kashani's forces give you grief. Wave around the title 'Special Inquisitor' if you must. Just make sure I find this place flourishing when I get back. If the rebels give you grief, show them what's been achieved, and lead them to me.”[/color] her expectations were established, and with that her amber eyes - mirrors that reflected the bit of light this room could capture - met Sirmerd's in the dark. [color=#E5E4E2]“Is that acceptable to you?”[/color] Şirmerd met her eyes and nodded and that was that. [h3][b]FIN[/b][/h3] [/hider][/color]