Under Two Moons - Chapter 35
Chapter 35.
I returned to the sewing room the way I'd come, my mind sifting through all I'd learned from my visit to Zara's lab. Of course the organizers of this expedition had already planned for the dangers they'd be facing. Who was I to tell them how to run the mission?
So what had I learned? They confirmed what Madoc had told me and what I'd surmised. It sounded as if they hadn't decided yet how large a party would be going to the lake. There'd been no indication of when they'd be going, either. I hadn't felt any urgency to finish my work on the coveralls, and yet, somehow, I sensed that they were getting closer to the time when Blane and the others would be leaving.
True, I'd seen some of the devices that would fit into my pouches and pockets, but I didn't know what any of them did or how the divers would be using them. I had no need to know, did I?
I entered the sewing room and immediately began to work on moving pouches and enlarging pockets. I hoped that Zara would be true to her word and approach Wert about the grippers.
“Nissa, are you still here?”
I looked up to see Rani in the doorway of the yellow sewing room.
“I need to finish one more seam,” I said. “Has the end of day bell rung?”
“Oh, quite some time ago.”
That was the second time I hadn't heard the bell, both times when I was in the lab area. Was it possible that it wasn't heard there? I wondered why. Maybe they didn't take breaks and worked through luncheon and dinner, but I'd seen Zara in the refectory a few times, and Niko and Mai often.
“I'll be along in a very short while,” I told her. I really wanted to finish this one garment so that I could do all the others the next morning.
“OK,” she said. “I'll see you in the refectory.”
Once the seam was done, I applied the wax to each of the ones I'd just sewn. I'd found that there was a room near the refectory where I could wash my hands, saving me a trip to the dorm.
When I entered the refectory, it looked like most of my friends and family were there. I purposely took a seat next to my sister. I knew she saw me, but she pointedly looked away. Even though I'd had other things on my mind, I'd also been thinking of an approach to get her to talk to me.
First I tried, “How was your afternoon, Morna?” in a friendly voice.
“OK,” she replied.
Well, at least I'd gotten that much out of her. “You know, I feel terrible when I can't talk to you,” I said next.
“Right,” she said.
Next I tried an apology. “I'm really sorry I didn't tell you more before, but if you and I aren't talking at all, I can't tell you anything.”
“You should have thought of that before,” she said.
“You're right,” I told her.
She was so surprised that I'd agree with her, that she turned to me and said, “Yes, I am.”
“Morna, I need to talk to you in private. I never finished what I wanted to tell you either time we talked this morning. Just the two of us. After dinner.”
Her eyes studied me and she pressed her lips together. I knew she was trying to decide whether to stay angry with me, or to hear me out. Her curiosity about what I wanted to say seemed to get the better of her. “OK,” she agreed. “Where?”
Where could we be alone and be certain we wouldn't be disturbed? “Come back with me to the sewing room,” I said. I didn't think anyone used it at night. “I have some things to show you.”
She looked puzzled but eventually nodded. “I'd like to see where you work.”
I smiled at her. I could accept that as a legitimate reason for us to go there.
The others were talking about some new rumors, so we joined in the conversation as if we'd been listening all along.
Katya had heard that they were going to use the device that Kerr, Inga and Dreas had brought to take images of everyone at the Stronghold. “Steward Peterson wants them for the records he's keeping,” she said.
We talked about whether we would feel anything if our image was taken by the device, but Kerr reassured us that they'd tried it at the factory and you didn't feel a thing.
After dinner, instead of going to the dorms with the other women, Morna and I started for my workroom.
“Where are you two going?” Rani asked.
“Oh, I just wanted to show my sister where we work,” I said, using Morna's idea of an excuse and gaining a smile from her. “After all, I've been to the animal nursery.”
Rani just nodded. I supposed she spent enough time in the sewing rooms during the day, and didn't really want to go back. The others were too busy talking about the upcoming party to care, either.
I took Morna directly to the room where we were working on the yellow coveralls, explaining as we passed it that the other room was where I started with Rani and Kwan.
“This is where I'm working on the garments for Kerr and a few others, for their mission.”
“That's what you wanted to show me?” she asked.
“Well, yes. You see these are very special coveralls.” I pulled out the one I'd just finished before dinner. “The fabric is waterproof.” I let her touch it to compare with what she was wearing.
“So their mission is in water,” she surmised.
I smiled at her. “Exactly! And I've been asked to add these pouches and pockets,” I added, pointing them all out to her.
“What...what are they for?”
“For some small devices they'll be taking with them when they dive.”
“Dive? Kerr can't even swim!”
“No he can't, but they've assured him it will be easy to learn,” I said. “Morna, what I haven't told you is that I know where they're going and why. They'll be diving in Dulno Lake to try to retrieve parts of the buried satellite.”
“That's what you didn't tell me?” Morna asked. It was obviously not what she expected.
I nodded. “Yes, that's it.”
“Oh, I thought...I mean...are you sure there's nothing else going on that I don't know about?” she asked.
“Well, there's a faction headed by Klaus Brun who would rather make weapons than useful machines,” I said. “Mena and her friends are part of it.”
“I knew I didn't like her,” Morna said. “It's just that I sense lots of...undercurrents, you know? And I thought you wanting to leave and all, you might have reasons I didn't know.”
“I thought we all wanted to leave, or at least to have that option,” I said. “I guess you like it here so much, you don't care whether you ever see Mother and Father again.”
“Oh, Nissa, that's not true! But this is a wondrous place and I'm learning so much from Gita and meeting such interesting people...”
“Like Dreas?” I asked. It was my turn to tease her.
“Well...” she said. “He is rather handsome, isn't he?”
“And injured, the poor dear,” I said in mock sympathy, but I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up.
“Nissa!” she said, but she was laughing too.
“C'mon. Let's get back to the dorm,” I told her, taking her arm. “I don't want to miss all the gossip.”
“I really like the women we've met here,” Morna said. “Except for Mena of course. I'm going to miss them.”
“Maybe someone will recreate a machine that lets us talk to them even if we're very far away,” I said. “I don't know how far the communication device that Kerr brought can carry, but maybe something like that.”
“Wouldn't that be wonderful!” she agreed.
When we arrived at the dorm, Carys was showing the other women one of the dances we do back at the Manor. “Morna, come help me show them the steps,” Carys said.
“Of course, your highness,” Morna said with a mock bow and they laughed. I don't think any of the others picked up on what Morna said, or took it literally.
My sister and my friend did well demonstrating the dance without any music.
“That's similar to our 'vago',” Katya said. It was her turn to dance with her sister as a partner. She was right. Their dance was similar.
“So there's dancing at the parties?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. They're really a celebration, after all,” Katya said.
“We usually have one after a group has come from one or more of the factories,” Rani explained. “A welcoming for the newcomers.”
“And this time we have two factory groups as well as all of you,” Gudrin added, meaning our group from Leara. “I'm sure the cooks will go all out with a lavish spread.”
Carys nodded. “They've already been cooking additional food for days! They're baking lots of pastries and breads, and preparing salads and pickled vegetables. One of the translators brought them a book of recipes and they've going through it trying every one.”
We all agreed this would be an enjoyable party. I just wondered how it would fit in with the plans for the expedition.
I returned to the sewing room the way I'd come, my mind sifting through all I'd learned from my visit to Zara's lab. Of course the organizers of this expedition had already planned for the dangers they'd be facing. Who was I to tell them how to run the mission?
So what had I learned? They confirmed what Madoc had told me and what I'd surmised. It sounded as if they hadn't decided yet how large a party would be going to the lake. There'd been no indication of when they'd be going, either. I hadn't felt any urgency to finish my work on the coveralls, and yet, somehow, I sensed that they were getting closer to the time when Blane and the others would be leaving.
True, I'd seen some of the devices that would fit into my pouches and pockets, but I didn't know what any of them did or how the divers would be using them. I had no need to know, did I?
I entered the sewing room and immediately began to work on moving pouches and enlarging pockets. I hoped that Zara would be true to her word and approach Wert about the grippers.
“Nissa, are you still here?”
I looked up to see Rani in the doorway of the yellow sewing room.
“I need to finish one more seam,” I said. “Has the end of day bell rung?”
“Oh, quite some time ago.”
That was the second time I hadn't heard the bell, both times when I was in the lab area. Was it possible that it wasn't heard there? I wondered why. Maybe they didn't take breaks and worked through luncheon and dinner, but I'd seen Zara in the refectory a few times, and Niko and Mai often.
“I'll be along in a very short while,” I told her. I really wanted to finish this one garment so that I could do all the others the next morning.
“OK,” she said. “I'll see you in the refectory.”
Once the seam was done, I applied the wax to each of the ones I'd just sewn. I'd found that there was a room near the refectory where I could wash my hands, saving me a trip to the dorm.
When I entered the refectory, it looked like most of my friends and family were there. I purposely took a seat next to my sister. I knew she saw me, but she pointedly looked away. Even though I'd had other things on my mind, I'd also been thinking of an approach to get her to talk to me.
First I tried, “How was your afternoon, Morna?” in a friendly voice.
“OK,” she replied.
Well, at least I'd gotten that much out of her. “You know, I feel terrible when I can't talk to you,” I said next.
“Right,” she said.
Next I tried an apology. “I'm really sorry I didn't tell you more before, but if you and I aren't talking at all, I can't tell you anything.”
“You should have thought of that before,” she said.
“You're right,” I told her.
She was so surprised that I'd agree with her, that she turned to me and said, “Yes, I am.”
“Morna, I need to talk to you in private. I never finished what I wanted to tell you either time we talked this morning. Just the two of us. After dinner.”
Her eyes studied me and she pressed her lips together. I knew she was trying to decide whether to stay angry with me, or to hear me out. Her curiosity about what I wanted to say seemed to get the better of her. “OK,” she agreed. “Where?”
Where could we be alone and be certain we wouldn't be disturbed? “Come back with me to the sewing room,” I said. I didn't think anyone used it at night. “I have some things to show you.”
She looked puzzled but eventually nodded. “I'd like to see where you work.”
I smiled at her. I could accept that as a legitimate reason for us to go there.
The others were talking about some new rumors, so we joined in the conversation as if we'd been listening all along.
Katya had heard that they were going to use the device that Kerr, Inga and Dreas had brought to take images of everyone at the Stronghold. “Steward Peterson wants them for the records he's keeping,” she said.
We talked about whether we would feel anything if our image was taken by the device, but Kerr reassured us that they'd tried it at the factory and you didn't feel a thing.
After dinner, instead of going to the dorms with the other women, Morna and I started for my workroom.
“Where are you two going?” Rani asked.
“Oh, I just wanted to show my sister where we work,” I said, using Morna's idea of an excuse and gaining a smile from her. “After all, I've been to the animal nursery.”
Rani just nodded. I supposed she spent enough time in the sewing rooms during the day, and didn't really want to go back. The others were too busy talking about the upcoming party to care, either.
I took Morna directly to the room where we were working on the yellow coveralls, explaining as we passed it that the other room was where I started with Rani and Kwan.
“This is where I'm working on the garments for Kerr and a few others, for their mission.”
“That's what you wanted to show me?” she asked.
“Well, yes. You see these are very special coveralls.” I pulled out the one I'd just finished before dinner. “The fabric is waterproof.” I let her touch it to compare with what she was wearing.
“So their mission is in water,” she surmised.
I smiled at her. “Exactly! And I've been asked to add these pouches and pockets,” I added, pointing them all out to her.
“What...what are they for?”
“For some small devices they'll be taking with them when they dive.”
“Dive? Kerr can't even swim!”
“No he can't, but they've assured him it will be easy to learn,” I said. “Morna, what I haven't told you is that I know where they're going and why. They'll be diving in Dulno Lake to try to retrieve parts of the buried satellite.”
“That's what you didn't tell me?” Morna asked. It was obviously not what she expected.
I nodded. “Yes, that's it.”
“Oh, I thought...I mean...are you sure there's nothing else going on that I don't know about?” she asked.
“Well, there's a faction headed by Klaus Brun who would rather make weapons than useful machines,” I said. “Mena and her friends are part of it.”
“I knew I didn't like her,” Morna said. “It's just that I sense lots of...undercurrents, you know? And I thought you wanting to leave and all, you might have reasons I didn't know.”
“I thought we all wanted to leave, or at least to have that option,” I said. “I guess you like it here so much, you don't care whether you ever see Mother and Father again.”
“Oh, Nissa, that's not true! But this is a wondrous place and I'm learning so much from Gita and meeting such interesting people...”
“Like Dreas?” I asked. It was my turn to tease her.
“Well...” she said. “He is rather handsome, isn't he?”
“And injured, the poor dear,” I said in mock sympathy, but I couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up.
“Nissa!” she said, but she was laughing too.
“C'mon. Let's get back to the dorm,” I told her, taking her arm. “I don't want to miss all the gossip.”
“I really like the women we've met here,” Morna said. “Except for Mena of course. I'm going to miss them.”
“Maybe someone will recreate a machine that lets us talk to them even if we're very far away,” I said. “I don't know how far the communication device that Kerr brought can carry, but maybe something like that.”
“Wouldn't that be wonderful!” she agreed.
When we arrived at the dorm, Carys was showing the other women one of the dances we do back at the Manor. “Morna, come help me show them the steps,” Carys said.
“Of course, your highness,” Morna said with a mock bow and they laughed. I don't think any of the others picked up on what Morna said, or took it literally.
My sister and my friend did well demonstrating the dance without any music.
“That's similar to our 'vago',” Katya said. It was her turn to dance with her sister as a partner. She was right. Their dance was similar.
“So there's dancing at the parties?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. They're really a celebration, after all,” Katya said.
“We usually have one after a group has come from one or more of the factories,” Rani explained. “A welcoming for the newcomers.”
“And this time we have two factory groups as well as all of you,” Gudrin added, meaning our group from Leara. “I'm sure the cooks will go all out with a lavish spread.”
Carys nodded. “They've already been cooking additional food for days! They're baking lots of pastries and breads, and preparing salads and pickled vegetables. One of the translators brought them a book of recipes and they've going through it trying every one.”
We all agreed this would be an enjoyable party. I just wondered how it would fit in with the plans for the expedition.