Tales of Midbar: Secret Priest

We arrived at Yoho's Party just as the sapphires switched off. It was a rather large restaurant. Perhaps "restaurant" is an oversimplification. They had a dance floor and various games that patrons could play. During the day and early evening it was family friendly but late at night it became a lot raunchier. It was popular with families, teenagers and single adults but not really a place for a romantic evening.

We ordered our meals and were given bracelet devices that would light up when they were ready. I was intrigued about how they worked but I'd heard they had protective magic to stop people from opening them. Then we left the older people at the table and decided what to do. Most the games seemed to have ques to play them so we looked at the dance floor. They were playing rather lively music and a number of people of various ages were dancing rather informally and in a couple of cases showing no expertise.

"If somebody sees me dancing with you," said Preldin to Attan, "people will think we're dating."

"Aren't you?" I asked.

"We're just friends," said Attan.

Jabna rolled her eyes.

"Like me and Dwendra used to be," I said, putting my arm round Dwendra, "and I know you like idlan girls with small breasts."

"No I don't!" said Attan. "I mean ..."

"You can dance with me," said Screld to Preldin. "Nobody here knows me and you've never met me before so they're less likely to jump to conclusions."

"Er, well, OK," said Preldin.

Screld put his gas ball in his pocket and took Preldin onto the floor.

Attan looked at Jabna.

"I don't dance with anybody shorter than me or without a decent amount of facial hair!" said Jabna.

"Now you know how I used to feel," I said to Attan, leading Dwendra onto the floor.

Dwendra and myself used magic to fling each other around, the way we'd been taught in Kledris, and probably looked unusual if not actually skillful. After a few minutes I noticed Attan dancing with Rilletteecket and Jabna danced with a boy I didn't recognise. Our bracelets went off to tell us our food had been done and we left the floor.

"This is Gillandi," said Attan, waving his hand at Rilletteecket. "Her friends haven't shown up and she thought she'd join our group as we had two idlans."

Jabna was looking at her suspiciously. Her partner had disappeared into the crowd.

"Glad to meet you," said Screld, giving Rilletteecket a somewhat hostile look.

Preldin, still looking nervous, got close beside Attan and held him back as we headed back to our tables but Jabna stopped and looked back at them.

"Should we do something about Preldin and Jabna?" I asked. "They can clearly detect korbarim but I don't think Preldin understands that and may not know the rules and I'm not sure about Jabna."

"Somebody shouldst giveth her 'the instructions,'" said Dwendra.

"Do they have a psychic parent or another sibling?" asked Rilletteecket.

"Their father's a hipsick," I said. "Well I assumed he's their father but he's a faharni and they look like purebred idlans. I don't know about their mother or siblings."

"Would your parents know?" asked Dwendra.

"Dad might but I think her parents are really Mum's friends."

When we got to our table, our food had arrived but there was no sign of Mum. Yoldasia gave Rilletteecket a cross look. As Attan was still on his way I took the opportunity to ask Dad about Preldin and Jabna.

"Do they know they're psychic?" asked Dad.

"I don't know."

"You should be subtle," said Yoldasia. "It's probably a good idea to start with Jabna as she's more likely to know or strongly suspect. Try to find out what she knows without making it too obvious." Then, before I could point out that this would be harder with Mum and Attan present, she said to Rilletteecket, "You do know the treaty laws?"

"Of course."

Screld repeated what Attan had told us about her.

"So where do you come from Gillandi?" asked Yoldasia.

"I was originally born in Uratan but I've moved around a lot."

"You speak with a southern plains accent," said Yoldasia.

"I'm good at picking up accents."

"And you haven't quite mastered your cover story. Let me guess you told Attan who told Screld who told me because they," she waved her hand at Dwendra and myself, "know the truth."

"What do you mean?" asked Rilletteecket (who didn't have any food).

"You think Benai Nibeyim haven't noticed how many Haprihagfen have dubious and unverifiable stories about where they come from but speak fluent Faharni with the same accent as whoever they're with? Just like Dwendra."

"I art not Haprihagfen, I doth not speaketh with the accent of who I art with and I hath toldeth thou the truth about wherest I haleth from."

"But you don't tell most people the truth!"

"You mean she isn't a Yohoist who grew up on a farm in northern Pax which got destroyed by Nuharas?" asked Attan, who'd caught up to us with Preldin and Jabna. "I always thought that sounded far fetched but Clindar fell for it."

"I knew the truth all along," I said. "Well it took me a couple of days to realize that what she'd told me was the truth."

"What is the truth?" asked Attan.

"Secret," said Dwendra.

"Anyway," said Yoldasia, "as we know where Dwendra really comes from and about the thing, it's fairly obvious where all these odd Haprihagfen come from."

"You're not supposed to tell others our secrets!" said Rilletteecket. "And I know some of yours."

"Perhaps we can find something else to talk about?" said Dad. "Can we get Gillandi something to eat?"

Dad flagged down a waiter and ordered some food for Rilletteecket (in the process revealing to everybody that she couldn't read Faharni). Mum returned and we started eating.

"Does Gillandi have something to do with Clindar and Dwendra?" asked Attan.

"She's one of their Haprihagfen friends," said Yoldasia, "who's come because they don't trust me."

This seemed a bit of a shock for Attan and Preldin but Jabna just rolled her eyes again.

"Actually," I said, "we thought it would be good for you to meet one of our new friends without prejudicing you against her by telling you she was Haprihagfen or even our friend."

Yoldasia gave me a strange look.

"We're not prejudiced against Haprihagfen and your friends," said Mum.

"What's Haprihagfen?" asked Preldin.

"A fundamentalist Winemaker sect ..." said Yoldasia.

"Order!" said Rilletteecket.

"Same thing," said Yoldasia.

"No it isn't!" said Rilletteecket. "A sect thinks it knows better than everybody else and is more correct and tries to convert everybody. An order is an organization for people with a particular calling so we only allow certain people to join but believe that non-members may be serving Yoho just as well as we are."

"So you're more intolerant than a sect?" asked Yoldasia.

"No. We believe that other forms of Winemakerism, well most of them, are perfectly valid."

The rest of the evening was a bit awkward. Attan, Preldin and Jabna were clearly worried about something. Mum, Yoldasia and to some extent Screld seemed somewhat hostile towards Rilletteecket. Dad seemed to be trying to keep out of it, in spite of his dislike of Winemakers.