In a few days it’s the day we decided would be Rye’s birthday. He hasn’t mentioned it at all, and from the occasional fulminating glare Ys has been directing my way, I imagine she thinks we’ve forgotten. The presents I bought were unfortunately left behind, but I figured out a replacement and Kaoren and I have been colluding with Lohn and Mara in getting it ready, and also arranging a surprise party. Rye’s not openly looking concerned, though, and was in Seventh Heaven this afternoon because Kaoren took him out on the balcony and cut his hair off. It does make them look faintly alike, and it just made Rye so happy.
I’m not a Setari, so we weren’t sure if the Setari land grant counted for me, but when Kaoren queried the contact person they kind of laughed at him, asked if I had a piece of land in mind, and said hold on a moment, and all of a sudden I owned an island. The whole island, since my land grant appears to be anything I take my fancy to. I asked if I could change its name, and now my island is called "Arcadia", which pleases me to no end. It was that or call it Sydney.
Kaoren will keep his land grant and decide on where to use it much later. Possibly at Mesiath, because we both like it there, or possibly someplace we haven’t even seen yet. A summer house, or something for the kids. I wasn’t expecting to get the entire island, and could probably keep getting myself given bits of Muina, but the idea embarrasses me – especially because the grant of Arcadia hit the news about five minutes after it was made official. That at least pleased Rye – he’s the most excited by the prospect of living on the island and he came running out to ask if it was true. And Lohn and Mara dropped by, and said that they were going to apply for land on one of the cluster of islands just south of Arcadia, and that a lot of other Setari were thinking of following suit. The largest island is currently called Siriath, and is about three times the size of Arcadia and very close – you could shout at each other over the gap.
Makes me want to try and get a canoe made.
Friday, November 7
Public Speaking
Today was the ceremony of thanksgiving.
I was too tired for it (contributing no end to the talk about how horrible I look) because I’d woken up a few hours after midnight to sit with Lira, who was having a terrible time. I took her down to medical, but they’re still very unwilling to give any form of pain relief during interface installation, and because she’s taken a strong dislike to medical (no surprise there) I took her back up to our rooms and sat out on the balcony with her.
Lira didn’t particularly want to talk to me, just wanted not to be alone until she was finally exhausted enough to fall asleep. Thankfully the interface installation has completed, which not only means that she no longer has the headache from hell, but she has some incredibly distracting new toys to play with. Ys, Sen and Rye have all been very quick to show her the things they find most special about the interface, and she and Ys spent most of the ceremony talking silently to each other.
If I hadn’t been semi-conscious, I suppose I would have found the thanksgiving ceremony quite touching. Even the huge Moon Piazza isn’t nearly big enough to fit Pandora’s entire population any more, but the main ceremony was there, and there were multiple other gatherings across the city, along with a broadcast. The provisional council is a mix of three Tarens, three Kolarens and three Nurans nominated to draft and recommend laws (although they have to be ratified by KOTIS for some time to come). They did most of the speaking, but kept it relatively short, and then someone sang and I was just wondering if I could get away with falling asleep leaning against Kaoren when they announced me as the next speaker. Kaoren promises me he would have warned me if he’d known, but it was my own fault for not reading my email. Or their fault for having ceremonies in the mid-morning.
So I went up looking like a car-wreck survivor, with extra circles under my eyes from lack of sleep, and my voice all croaky. I’ve never stood up before that many people, and only got through it by focusing on the black-clad rows at the front.
"It’s nearly a full Muinan year since I first saw Pandora’s old town," I said. "It was the first sign of civilisation I’d found. I was so glad. And it was so empty." I paused, looking past the Setari to the endless swell of people, most sitting on cushions or the stone paving. "Even after I was found by the Tarens, I still felt alone, because everyone I cared about was on another world, and I couldn’t speak the language, and everything was strange. Some very kind people put a lot of effort into making me feel less alone, but I missed my family and I just wanted to go home. I’m not sure I would have believed a day like today could come so quickly. That Muina would not be an empty world, and that I could stand here and look out and in every direction see people who mattered to me, who have become part of a very extended family, and that they would have made this place home. I am so lucky to know you all, and I am very glad to be here."
That’s totally not the speech I would have made if I’d put any thought into it, and I was bright red at the end of it, and got off stage as quickly as I could manage before I burst into tears. I could tell from the way Kaoren’s eyes were nearly shut that he’d thought me tremendously funny, but he tucked me under his arm and Sen came and sat in my lap and I hid behind her. My punishment for looking so sick and exhausted during the ceremony was to be sent off to medical afterwards, where I promptly fell asleep.
Kaoren woke me in time for bedtime stories, and having finished the Kolaren story I began the rather challenging task of translating The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. My Taren is still a little shaky on complex dialogue (and some of the scans were blurry), but it went reasonably well with only a few extended tangents for explanations of exotic concepts like lions. Fortunately the version we’d scanned was illustrated.
I ended up with five engrossed listeners, since Kaoren is very interested in Earth’s stories as well. I want to read them every story I loved growing up. I think that more than anything else will finish making this home.
Kaoren’s asleep now, busy looking gorgeous. The squads are all back on duty tomorrow, and the platforms have been very obliging about starting to work again. Kaoren will be working at Kalasa. They want me to do some visualisations of Tare and Kolar as well, but the "she’s too injured" people are currently winning the argument.
Saturday, November 8
Education
Kaoren was at Kalasa most of the day, while almost every strong Telekinetic and Levitation talent was off in Mesiath clearing trees and seeding and feeding whitestone. Mori and Alay were my guards – I failed to win the "I don’t need babysitters" argument, but so long as I stay inside the building I don’t have to have them sitting right on me. Alay says I can consider them the day’s trainers, though with an arm in a sling and ribs protesting whenever I bend even slightly, it’s more training for the kids at the moment.
Rye’s fine with anyone giving him combat training, but both Ys and Lira are very doubtful about the whole thing. I told them that knowing how to beat up anyone who might attack them is a good thing, and Alay laughed at me and said I should take my own advice.
Alay’s laughing a lot more these days.
We’ve set a tentative date of five days from now for the kids to start attending the talent school again, since that should give Lira some time to adjust to the interface, and to just be more comfortable with being here. I can tell that Ys hates the idea, but is being very good about not arguing or showing how she feels. If anything, she seems even less eager to go than before.