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Chapter 50
Nariana
When the Day of Blessing finally rolled around, I was excited for it. Ela made himself look amazing in a nice shirt with the sleeves rolled up, fitted pants with suspenders, and his hair was a tousled mess. His clothes were just a little too nice to count as provincial, but the style wasn't something high society would consider appropriate.
I went with a country-style dress. Just a plebeian thing made of soft fabric that would swirl as I danced. The neckline was a low swoop. A corset kept my breasts in place - and my cleavage showing. The muted orange color would match the fall theme, and it paired well with the black accents of my faith. My hair was left loose, styled in soft curls, and my shoes had been picked for standing all day.
Our guardians had both dressed to match. Sure, their ensembles were black, and their weapons were visible, but the fabrics weren't too expensive. This was barely more than a step up from what they wore to practice in. Since our dates were going to be working-class, we didn't want to make them feel underdressed by comparison. We'd been taught that such things could make or break the mood of a session.
At noon, the entire class descended to the front of the Temple of Temptation to meet our dates. Saval was there, dividing us by assignments. Those with high-class patrons would meet them by the statue of Zeal. Those of us assigned to commoners would find them outside. Our schedulers were present, there to introduce us and pass over our tickets.
Ela and I made our way to the staircase where at least a dozen people mingled, clearly trying to find the person they'd spend the day with. Migard was at the side, talking to a woman by the railing. She had to be Ela's date, and her attire was not at all what I'd expected. Eccentric was putting it mildly.
"Looks like I've found my soulmate," Ela joked as we headed that way.
"Priest Eladehl," Migard greeted him. "Let me introduce you to Lady Rolena."
Ela took her hand and bent over it, kissing her knuckles. "I'm dying to know where you found pink daisies, Rolena. They look beautiful in your hair."
She pursed her lips and looked him over. "Are you mocking me?"
Ela just laughed. "Not at all. I actually think we're going to have a lot of fun today. It seems you want to be scandalous, and that is my forte."
"It is," I assured her. "Brazen and flamboyant are two things he does well."
The woman's eyes landed on me and her smile turned a little sweeter. "Shame I didn't get you for my date."
"Sorry, ma'am," I said. "Seems my friend gets all the luck." I winked at her and then let Migard steer me away.
What he didn't do was take me to my date. Instead, from fifty feet away, he gestured to the man. "Cormak. We have one ticket, but he brought his child. There was no mention of it before, and I have no idea how you'll make this work. I'm sorry, Nariana. It seems I didn't pick as well as I'd hoped."
"Don't worry," I assured him. "We've got this. Talin? Is your noble arrogance still working?"
"Always," Talin promised.
So I headed down the stairs to where a man stood, holding a young boy's hand tightly. The gesture reminded me too much of when my Papa had brought me here. It was filled with fear, among other things. When I got close enough, I turned my smile on the boy.
"Hi," I said, offering the kid my hand in greeting. "I'm Nariana, but most people call me Nari. What's your name?"
"Kaidan," the kid mumbled. He couldn't have been more than ten, and probably less.
"Are you coming to the festival with us?" I asked.
The boy nervously looked up at his father. "Da'?"
"I told him we'd have to see if there was a ticket," the man said. "It's the only way for people like us to get in, but I'm assumingyoualways get a ticket."
Ouch. Harsh. He was also wrong. "Actually, this will be my first time going too." I offered my hand to him the same way I had his son. "Nari, and I'm afraid I didn't get your name."
"Cormak," The man grumbled, clasping my hand for a fraction of a second. "So, if you can't get my boy into this thing, there's no point in doing this."
"It's sweet that you went through all this effort for him." I gestured to the side, indicating the walkway that would take us where we needed to go. "Is he your only child?"
"Yeah, his mom died in childbirth," Cormak snapped. "I appreciate the reminder."
Ok, so this was not going to be as easy as I'd hoped. This man had no interest in being with me, enjoying the festivities or anything but picking a fight. I'd honestly never met anyone so angry at the world - not even Tath! And yet, the simple fact that he was doing this so his son could have a good day made me feel willing to try a little harder.
"Da'?" the boy asked. "Who's the guy?"
