KChan

"I'll tell you something privately." He said, making sure to pull her to a distance that was proper, but lent the proper amount of secrecy as he led her to the dance floor for the next dance. "We from the Southern Islands love our drama. I mean, can you imagine a non-dramatic person wearing a coat like this?" He made sure to flare his coat dramatically on this as he turned to take her hand for the dance. "However, as romantic and daring as pirates and endless wine-tastings sound, it's not nearly as dramatic there as my cousins are making it look. Perhaps our particular brand of drama has just not been appreciated enough in Luthadel until now."

"I daresay it hasn't," Celia said with a smile, admiring how his unusual coat flared when he spun. She maintained her Elariel poise and calm, of course, but she did allow genuine warmth to shine through. She was coming to quite enjoy Lord Kennith's company, after all, and didn't want to frighten him away with a frigid, imperious air.

"Luthadel society quite favors the status quo, after all," she continued as she took his hand, "and while order and tradition are important, I imagine even the staunchest of traditionalists might find it stifling after a while. Who knows? Perhaps Fathvell's long coats and dramatic dances and endless wine-tastings will breathe a breath of fresh air into society here."

Felix came at her again, a little slower this time, and Eliza was careful not to repeat her previous mistake. She matched her pace to his, this time not showing off, but rather showcasing what Uncle Nat had taught her. Technique, control, and the ability to read her opponent's movements.

The restrictive Luthadel dress frustrated her more and more by the second, though. The heavy petticoats dragged, making it more difficult for her to dodge and move around the way she was supposed to. The tight stays interfered with her breathing, and the arms and shoulders weren't cut to allow for freedom of movement, they were cut to look pretty. The result was that she was pinned pretty much in one place, unable to get away from a superior opponent. At least Felix was currently playing the superior opponent who was going easy on her, testing her abilities rather than actually trying to win. She'd have lost in seconds otherwise.

If this were a real fight, she might have gone on the offensive, hoping to create a momentary distraction or hesitation that would give her an opening to flee. But it wasn't, and they weren't trying to simulate one, so far as Eliza knew. Felix was getting to know her abilities, so he'd know how and where to pick up her training where Uncle Nat had left off. That meant she had to give him enough to work with, not break it off as soon as possible and escape.

And so she kept at it, wincing every time her sleeves or bodice pulled, and nearly tripping over her ash-cursed skirts a couple times. She was determined to make as respectable a showing of herself as she could, even disadvantaged as she was, and so she would keep at it until Felix called a halt.

Nessa nodded thoughtfully, thinking over what Nate had said. He had some very good points, but that didn't explain why Datura felt it was alright to needle Nessa if she herself had complicated feelings about relationships. She had to be careful how she asked about it, though; a question like that could easily be taken as argumentative, when really all Nessa wanted was to understand. So she took a deep breath, letting the breeze off the river ruffle her hair. When she spoke again, she tried very hard to keep her voice calm, without any trace of challenge. It was harder than she thought.

"Why did she keep on about it with me, then? She kept asking and kept asking and kept asking all these things about him, and about him and me, and wouldn't let up. I hear what you're saying, and I'm not arguing, but I wouldn't have asked her what I did if she hadn't brought it up first."

She sighed. She thought she'd made it good by being brought here, and for the most part, that was still very, very true. She had regular meals and a real bed and the only time anyone touched her was in harmless ways, like Nate leading her out the door just now. But it also seemed like life was getting more and more complicated by the second.

Just... walking? But where, she wondered, and why?

The first answer seemed to be down the river, in a random direction, until they were a pretty reasonable distance away from the crewhouse. It was a good place to talk and not be overheard; with the noise of the water and the docks, their words would be drowned out for anyone who tried to hide and eavesdrop, and the area was open enough that they could probably spot anyone who tried anyway.

So this was a talk about Datura. And, Nessa guessed, topics she should avoid at all cost. It made sense; Datura was a passionate person, and passionate people often had sore spots that got them all riled up and more likely to become reckless or violent. She'd discovered one by accident just now, apparently; did Nate want to make sure she didn't blindly stumble into any more?

That would make sense, and it was definitely important. So she just nodded her understanding but kept silent, letting him speak.

The next thing Nessa knew, she was being guided by the arm back out of the crewhouse. Why did he have to pull her by the arm? Couldn't he just tell her to come? It wasn't like she'd just wander off; she'd been here practically a whole week already and she hadn't tried to sneak away once. Only to see if she could, which shouldn't count at all since she hadn't gone through with it.

"Where are we going?" she asked, once she'd properly caught up with Nate. She gave her arm a gentle tug, trying to pull it out of his grasp. "To find her? Or are you taking me back where she left me?"