Ishtarways - Tasha, Amba and HelenaIndex | Time Under Chaos | Game Logs | Istharways - Tasha, Amba and Helena (Continued from The Winding Stair: Suhuy and His "Guests") And then they were trumping through to Ishtarways ... They appeared in the middle of a round brick patio set in a garden. Several benches lined the patio and four paths led away from it at right angles, each path covered by an archway hanging with roses. It was difficult to tell the time of day as the sky was overcast and dark, contrasting appealingly with the light brick and brightly colored flowers. A warm breeze blew across the patio lightly, laden with floral scents. Helena exhaled forcefully and sat down on a bench. "I don't know what to say. This certainly wasn't what I was expecting when I woke up this morning. We probably gave you quite a fright, Tasha--I'm sorry for that." Tasha looked around her, taking in the garden, the lighting and the fragrance -- especially the fragrance. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment. When they opened they were a sparkling blue. "That last two days have been very, interesting, to say the least," Tasha smiled at Helena and plopped down on an opposite bench. She put her chin in her palms, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees as she regarded Helena and Amba. "So, what do you think of that story? That Tear didn't assay the Logrus in her dreams, but as an infant -- when her mother attempted to sacrifice her?" "I don't know," Helena replied. "As I understand the traditional meaning of sacrifice in this regard, a life is offered in exchange for another. Solitaire didn't die and her father did. So...did the Logrus not accept Solitaire as a sacrifice? Was her mother interrupted? Did she perform the ritual incorrectly? How did Solitaire actually assay the Logrus? "Many questions are still unanswered. Hopefully my stepfather will convince Lord Suhuy to help him answer them." Tasha nodded, and then she sat up straighter, as if with renewed purpose, "Perhaps one question we can answer for ourselves... What happened to your uncle when Lord Suhuy didn't bring him along? Do you have a way to contact him?" "Not him, but I can contact my mother--my trumps are in my rooms. That'll give Amba and me an opportunity to change clothing as well," Helena replied. She stood and stretched, then motioned for them to follow. Helena led them through the archway covered with the red roses, along a brick path, and down stairs leading to glass doors opened wide at this time of day. Beyond the doors was a sunroom, and beyond that they came into Ishtarways proper. The architecture--in at least this part of Ishtarways--was more traditional than what they'd seen in Jurt's residence. Showing a definite gothic influence, doorways were topped with pointed arches, columns were intricately adorned with scupltured designs, the windows were large and predominately filled with stained glass, and the occasional stone gargoyle grinned from its perch over an archway or in a wall niche. Helena stopped a servant and ordered tea--ignoring the girl's silent wide-eyed stare at her attire--then led Amba and Tasha through a dark wood door into a suite of rooms. The room they entered looked like both a study and sitting room. Shelves lined with books with a writing desk nearby filled one part of the room, and comfortable chairs lounging in front of a fireplace filled the rest. An open doorway led to a bedroom, and a glass door led to a covered patio overlooking a different portion of the same garden they'd trumped into. "My rooms," Helena said for the benefit of Tasha--Amba already knew these rooms well. "Tasha, please make yourself at home. I'm going to go change into something more...appropriate. Amba, you're welcome to one of my dresses if you like." Helena smiled wryly at them both and disappeared into her bedroom, leaving the door open behind her. Still thinking about what had just occurred, Amba was startled out of her thoughts by Helena's voice. "Yes," she said, "like would be an understatement." She gave a smile of her own as she followed Helena into her room. Tasha did as directed and made herself comfortable on one of the cozy seats by he fireplace. She wondered if it would be inappropriate to ask for something to eat, since she had yet to have any breakfast, and it had been quite a busy morning. She felt herself dozing as Helena and Amba changed their clothing. Looking through Helena's closet was bliss compared to what Amba had to choose from before. Though she didn't place much stock in such things, she'd found out the hard way that she did have certain standards- and the horrid dress she'd been forced to wear didn't match up to those. As they changed Amba asked idly, "Does Lord Suhuy not like your mother on principle? Or is there something more?" Helena pulled Suhuy's dress over her head and tossed it away. Far away. "Probably some of both," she replied, looking at Amba over her bare backside. "Mother seems to garner mistrust wherever she goes. To me it appears she enjoys being thought dangerous and cultivates it, as if she was growing some sort of exotic flower." As Amba disrobed, she let the dress follow Helena's, a small frown on her face. "It's not so much that," she said. "At least I don't think so," she added quickly. "Alone in enemy territory? It's a defense." Helena smiled at Amba as she slipped into a chemise, then padded over to her friend. She lightly ran her fingers down the tattoo on Amba's back. "Is it Lord Suhuy's callousness that's bothering you, or that Solitaire was lied to?" she asked softly, concerned. Closing her eyes at Helena's touch, she replied, "A little of both, I think." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I think it's just that it brought up bad memories," she said at last. It had been this way for years- though at times it seemed that the women almost knew each other's thoughts, there was a part of herself that Amba held back- not necessarily to keep it from Helena, but more likely because she feared Helena's response, and no matter what Helena did to reassure her, it was something that Amba needed to deal with. Turning to face Helena, she touched her lightly on the cheek. "Thank you," she said. Then sniffling slightly, she forced a smile. "We shouldn't keep Tasha waiting, y'know," she said, changing the subject, her voice a little stronger as she started to dress. "Very well," Helena replied, her demeanor calm and accepting. "When you finally decide to trust me with those memories, I'll be here. Waiting." She squeezed Amba's shoulder, then turned away to pull on her dress. A knock sounded from the hallway and the servant Helena spoke to earlier opened the door to wheel in a cart filled with kettles, cups, assorted muffins and pastries, marmalade and jams. She smiled and curtsied to Tasha. "Beggin' your pardon, Miss, but would you like some tea?" she asked. "Yes, thank you. Tea and..." Tasha eyed the pastries with a wistful smile, and said softly, "What I really would like is breakfast, if it isn't too much trouble that is?" Tasha hesitated and offered an apologetic smile and an explanation, "You see my morning's plans were interrupted and, well as much as I enjoy tea and pastries, I would much prefer a farmer's breakfast." It was hard to imagine that someone with such a slight frame could eat so much, but Tasha could easily put away 2 or 3 fried eggs, toast, bacon or sausage, and even a few pancakes along with that. The servant nodded and curtsied again, "Not a problem, Miss. I'll tell the cook." Before she left, though, she poured out tea for Tasha, who requested both milk and sugar. Tasha hesitated, and not wanting to appear rude and begin drinking alone, Tasha called out toward the bedroom, "The tea has arrived.... Shall I pour you both some?" "Go ahead and pour, we'll be right there!" Helena called from the bedroom. She snagged a brush and her trump of Fiona from her bedside table and walked back out into the sitting room. Helena dropped into the chair across from Tasha, leaving the loveseat for Amba. Her dress was light blue, matching her eyes, and she'd left her feet bare. "Cream and sugar for me, if you would please," she told Tasha as she curled her feet up under her and placed the trump face down on the arm. "I'll call Mother in a minute, once Amba's here and we're all settled. So how are you doing?" Helena asked Tasha as she started to brush out her hair. Tasha handed Helena her cup and then settled back into the comfy-chair, kicking her shoes off, and tucking her feet up under her in a mirror of Helena's comfortable position. She sighed as she contemplated that simple question. "I think..." she began but then paused as if she had changed her mind in what she was about to say. She looked up at Helena with her surprisingly innocent blue eyes, "I hope I haven't ruined my chance to go to Amber. Mother will certainly be displeased in my taking the Baroness to the Logrus." Helena took a quick sip of the tea, then put down the cup and started plaiting her hair back into a single braid. "Were you forbidden to go?" "Well, no... Not exactly." Tasha's eyes slid down and she found an interesting patch of sunlight to look at, as her cheeks pinked. "Mother was just rather... upset... by the idea, and strongly suggested other possibilities for our outing. But I knew she meant for us not to go there.... Only I knew how much Tear wanted to go." Tasha looked up at Helena, "Was it so wrong of me to take her?" Helena raised her head to look over Tasha's shoulder in the direction of her patio for a brief moment, then looked back at Tasha to smile wryly. "I don't think so. If you hadn't, Solitaire would still be in the dark," she replied practically. "You did what I certainly would've done." "I don't think it was your fault either," Amba said, as she walked in the room. She looked quickly in the direction of Helena's glance, then back at Helena, a quizzical look on her face. The dress she had chosen was very similar to Helena's, other than the fact that it was green instead of blue. She shrugged as she sat down in the loveseat. "There was no way that you could have known, and people aren't usually forbidden to go, so you shouldn't be hard on yourself."
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