Women's Work

Writers: Eimi, Yvonne
Date Posted: 15th June 2006

Characters: Shadux, Mariss
Description: Shadux finds Mariss in the Records Room and strongly disapproves
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 11, day 11 of Turn 3

Mariss stared at the page in front of her, trying to banish the ghosts conjured by the neat rows of notations and numbers. The electric light overhead hummed faintly and she wished for glows, the records room smelt like old hides and dust and she wished she was at home, back at Amethyst Cliff... She set down her pen and pressed her thumbs against her eyes to banish the sound of Vivvi's laugh and the way the light used to dance off the polished wood of the halls. The lump in her throat grew. "Stupid girl," she told herself. There was no room for grief here, not when any sign of weakness would be pounced on.

The ledger before her was a detailed account of wool sales from two turns ago; now that her father was Steward here he needed the intimate knowledge of the Hold that he'd possessed back at Amethyst Cliff, before the stones came down. But he didn't have time to do the research himself, and there were no hands to spare to do it for him save her own. **At least it's better than helping with the laundry.
Or embroidery in the solar. Blah.**

Shadux was on an assignment of his own as he went to find the old records of the fields that had lain fallow since the Plague took away more than half their labor force. He was surprised to see the young woman there pouring over hides herself. She certainly didn't seem to be indulging in her strange fancy for maps this time. "Mariss? What are you doing here?"

Mariss suppressed a sigh and glanced up from the sheets before her.
She hadn't heard him come in. "Working."

"On what?" he asked curiously. "Zelanka put you to work already?"

"I finished getting her accounts up to date yesterday." She hesitated, then ploughed on. "Da wants me to compile a quick summary of your last five turns' economic history, trends, major trading partners, and market fluctuations to help bring him up to speed." Shadux just looked at her and blinked for a few moments. He wanted her to do _what_? "I'm sorry?"

Mariss suppressed a sigh. "Compile a basic summary of Amber Hills' last five turns' economic history."

He was stunned. Just what was Cyrek playing at? Even _if_ she knew how to do that... "That's an _understewards_ job..."

"Yes." She picked up her pen and resumed reading. Maybe he'd put two and two together.

"Your father has _plenty_ of understewards. Why are _you_ doing that?" Just where did Cyrek think he was, a _Weyr_? Girls weren't understewards!

"Well, as far as I know everyone else already has something to do, and manpower can't really be spared for something that's essentially redundant when there are people to be moved, cots to be built, and farmland to be tended to," she said, putting a slight emphasis on 'man'. "And Da doesn't really have time to do this himself. So I volunteered. Why, is there a problem?"

"_I_ could have done that. I already _know_ our economic history, our trading partners." Wasn't it bad enough the man replaced his father? What, did he want his _daughter_ to succeed him? Just watch, that will be next!

"I'm sure Da has you doing something else that would be a better use of your time, rather than summarizing something you already know.
Besides," she said tapping the hides with her pen, "this way I get to learn about your economic history and trading partners too." She frowned at her hand; the bandage that protected the cuts on her palm was stained with ink.

"But isn't there something Zelanka needs you to do? Trading partners and economics is not exactly a headwoman's assistant's concern."

"You're right, they're not," Mariss said placidly. "Then I don't see why your father see fit to take you away from your duties to do the job that one of us who are from Amber Hills understand its workings perfectly could do in _half_ the time. I'm sure there are things Zelanka could use your help with." It was bad enough that man was trying to ruin their reputation among their trade partners and sell off everything of theirs that wasn't being used to feed his own people, but the man actually had the gall to show his disdain for Amber Hills and their people by trying to pass their jobs off on his _daughter_?! She suppressed an irritated sigh. "Zelanka and I have an agreement, Shadux. And what I do or don't do is no concern of yours, since I am obviously not inhibiting _your_ ability to get your own work done.
And speaking of work, I really have to get this done."

An 'agreement'? What to shirk duties to play understeward for a day?! Shards, he wished they had never come to his Hold. Everything was fine until that sharding quake! They may not have had a full Hold but they were getting by, and things were only getting better. The sooner they all left to rebuild their Hold the better. He ripped the book he was looking for off the shelf and stormed out of the Record Room. At that moment he couldn't stand the sight of her and all she stood for. They could all go sharding /between/ for all he cared and Cyrek and his daughter with delusions of grandeur could lead the way.

Last updated on the June 15th 2006

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Women's Work