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Maela smiled at him. "I'm here, aren't I?" Then she looked over at Talin. "Yamina wanted to come, but I got her to agree to wait until I have the temple sorted out."
"She - " But he stopped. "She's seventeen now. She's a lady."
"Of age to marry," Maela agreed. "Your brothers are pressuring her. She's begun playing the game, but that girl is truly a Ranndor. Naive and blushing she is not. She convinced a man to fall in love with her. Just when Tath was sure he'd propose, she all but chased him off."
"And she gets to start wooing some man all over again," I realized.
Maela nodded. "She reset the clock. Her brothers can't say she's not trying, and she's targeting men with good titles and enough wealth, so they can't complain. She's also picking the most arrogant and oblivious ones, it seems."
"The ones that are easy to hate," Ela said. "I can't wait to meet this girl."
We all paused as the server came to get our orders. Maela ordered teas and pastries for all of us, making it clear it was her tab. Amerlee tried to complain, but Maela said it was her turn. I watched them, amused at how easily those women bantered. They also flirted, tossing sweet smiles at each other to help their arguments. It was just one more sign of how far Maela had come from the timid woman I'd first met.
But when the tea service came back, Maela turned to me. "How was the session last night?"
"It was completely platonic," I assured her.
"Ok?" she asked.
"Because it was my father." I just closed my eyes and pressed my hands into my face. Not a lady-like gesture, but I honestly didn't care. "In one evening, I learned more about my childhood than I expected."
"Good or bad?" Maela asked.
"Both," I admitted. "My mother was so poor she had to sleep with men for money. Most of my siblings were the result. We only know I'm not because my ability to see gods comes from my father."
"Which," Amerlee said, "is why Zeal fought so hard for you."
"Yeah..."
Ela just watched me across the table, waiting until my eyes found his. "You ok with that? Your mom, I mean?"
I could only shrug. "It explains so much. She never had patience with us, but I always assumed it was because we were so needy. She was also drunk most of the time, my father said, although I don't really remember that. My youngest sister and mother have since passed away. My oldest brother is married and working on his second kid. He's working the farm with my father."
"And the rest of your siblings?" Maela asked. "Are they all priests?"
"Yeah, with the Temple of Compassion," I told her.
Her eyes widened in surprise. "Allof them are in Compassion?"
"Mhm," I agreed. "I'm trying to convince myself I should go talk to them. I've always had an excuse to avoid it, but I'm running out of those."
"Were you not close to your brothers and sisters?" Maela asked.
Everyone was looking at me. I knew they were all friends, which made it easier, and yet there were so many sets of eyes. I didn't want to lie, but I also wasn't sure what I'd do if they laughed at me.
"My father was so shocked to see black on my hands that I convinced myself he was ashamed. Worried was more like it. Still, when you spoke to me in the Temple of All Gods, you were also nervous because I was in black. I guess that somewhere in there, I convinced myself that being a Priestess of Temptation was something others would hate, and I wasn't sure how I'd feel about my siblings hating me."
"No," Maela said. "Oh, Nari, I was just terrified that I'd make some social misstep."
"But," Jamik said, "that could still be the case, Nari. Most priests like to think their temple is better than all the others. It's because we know the purpose of our god, not theirs. They could also be upset to learn their father isn't the man they thought."
"I know," I assured him. "But I also have Papa's address. If nothing else, I should share that with them, but I'm more nervous about this than I was about my first session."
"I'll go with you," Maela offered. "It's been too long since I've been to the Temple of Compassion. The High Priest there knows me. I all but grew up in the place. The least I can do is help you find your siblings, right? And if they're thrilled to see you, then wonderful. If they aren't, I'll be a good excuse for why you can't stay."
"No, you don't have to do that," I tried.
She just gave me a look that said she could see through my attempt at manners. "You didn't have to help me. I don't have to help you. You won't have to help me again later. This is friendship, Nari. We're sisters now, and this is one thing I can actually help with. At least let me try?"
