"Audience With the Minister" Log Date: 2/23, 2/25/00 Log Cast: Faanshi, Ranjeet Log Intro: The shudra Faanshi is no stranger to pain and cruelty; indeed, after seventeen years under the heavy hand of Hashim of Sarazen, what is more strange to her is kindness and compassion. These latter things she had found in her mistress Kiera... in her teacher FallingStar... snd in her second teacher as well, the Arch-Magus Samein. But much to her sorrow, the old mage has never been happy about her connection to the Varati people in general and Kiera Khalida in particular. They have fought, she and Samein, and at last he has even tried to take her by force into Delphi. All of this she might have almost borne, had Samein not also unleashed his magic upon her unwitting hound Kosha. Saved from Samein's implacable determination by the intervention of Hounds of Haven unwilling to obey his command to break the laws of Delphi on his behalf, taken away by the outraged and protective Empyrean bard Gaelius, a traumatized Faanshi has been returned to Atesh-Gah. But the attempt Samein has made upon her freedom has repercussions past her immediate ken, and so she must prepare herself to be questioned on what befell her by no less than the Foreign Minister, Ranjeet Khalida himself.... ---------- Faanshi has been more nervous than this -- time spent awaiting her last audience with the Khalid Atar comes to mind, not to mention the time the Foreign Minister had recruited her for the mission to infiltrate Clan Behzad. But on this particular day, somehow, those prior instances seem to the young shudra as soothing as a walk through a field of flowers for no real reason she can name at all -- or at any rate, no reason she wants to let herself consider very heavily for very long, lest Samein's apparent betrayal once again be the cause of tears in her young eyes. And now, she tells herself, she has no business showing any such weakness as tears before an august visitor like Ranjeet Khalida. Her dog has been banished for the time being down to the kennels, and upon learning that the Minister wishes to speak with her, the young halfbreed has spent the last hour trying to arrange Kiera's rooms into as impeccable a condition as possible. Herself she has given the same treatment, though her silks are of more humble make than the furnishings of her mistress's seldom-used chamber. The door is opened with no announcement or request. Her position as shudra does not require such pleasantries. Dark as death from head to toe, the Foreign Minister enters into the halfbreed quarters, his gaze flickering about to take in the furnishings and the simple decor. "Shudra Faanshi," he calls out, spotting the girl and commanding her over. "Please choose a comfortable place to sit ... I have many questions for you regarding your recent encounters with Imphadi Saemin and your past relationship with this individual." Stepping closer to the girl, his features impassive and somber, he notes, "I wish for you, during this interview, to speak honestly and accurately. Do not lie under any circumstance. Nothing said here today will be held against you - it is more important to know the truth than to seek any infraction you may or may not have committed in all of this." His gaze narrows warningly as he notes softly, "Please be assured that if you lie to me today, I will learn of it and you will be punished. Do you understand?" Faanshi starts the moment the door is open -- but she issues no noise of surprise or complaint. She has been given more than adequate warning, and she has applied herself to being ready. A chair has been set aside for the Minister's use if he wishes it; she has endeavored, too, to insure that the room is at least somewhat comfortably warm by bringing in a small brazier of heated coals to which she has been periodically feeding small bits of kindling. The shudra girl steps closer as bidden, immediately attentive, not once raising her eyes. Prompt is her response, though her voice is very soft, almost without inflection. "I understand, imphadi." And, again as bidden, she sinks down upon a thick pillowed cushion she has placed on the floor for this purpose, settling herself into a patient kneeling stance thereupon. As there is only the one chair in the room, that is likely as comfortable as she is going to get. Nodding quietly, Ranjeet draws the chair over toward the girl, settling himself down in it. There is a long cool moment of silence as he studies the shudra girl, familiar with her only slightly from the one assignment he sent her on. "For your information, I have met with the Atarvani and in turn with the Hounds and Delphi. I have told them that we will not release you to them for testing as I have been assured that you have sufficient control over your powers, and due to the circumstances which have yet to be determined. I shall decide later if we shall press charges against Delphi or Imphadi Saemin for their actions in this matter. Tell me, with as much detail as you can, what happened in the Rialto the other day ... when Imphadi Saemin tried to drag you into Delphi." Then the Minister sits back expectantly. This whole situation has been tiresome for him ... no one bothering in the least to move through proper channels. He has not been able to even glean the story of what has happened or why ... only insults and accusations has he witnessed. Tell, and tell in detail. Faanshi is not often told to speak thus freely, and thus her sungolden brow wrinkles in momentary consternation beneath the trimmed edge of her sari. But after a moment, she begins to speak as she has been commanded, with only a ragged edge to her otherwise near-inflectionless voice betraying any sign of emotion. "To explain in proper detail, Imphadi Minister, I must say first that many months ago the Imphadi Samein invited me to visit him in Delphi, which I did. We spoke in their Library and he showed me books." For a fraction of an instant the halfbreed healer girl pauses, eyes closing tightly on the memory of discussing the wonders of the strange art of Anatomy with the cantankerous old arch-magus. But she has been bidden to speak, and thus, speak on she does. "Later, I told my imphada of this and she bade me not to go to Delphi anymore because she does not trust the Imphadi Samein. Recently I met the Imphadi Samein in the park, while it was snowing. He invited me to come to Delphi again, and... I told him that my imphada would not permit it and I... I offered to simply walk him as far as Delphi's... gates. We... argued then... I-Imphadi Samein was very angry and... I... " He was going to ask her for past details later, but best to just let the tale come out as it will and ask questions later. So instead, Ranjeet's head inclines forward to encourage her to continue. Faanshi sucks in a small breath then, aware of tears threatening at the edges of her eyes. But heartsore as she is, she cannot quite manage to find the strength to banish those tears entirely. Instead she finds herself forced to seattle for letting them trickle out, one or two at a time, between her demurely lowered lashes. All her conscious strength she channels into keeping her voice as steady as she can, though it twists her within to have to put the incident of four days past into words. "I... ran away. Then... in the Rialto... I... and the Imphadi Samein met once more. He... seemed to be sorry that... we had... f-fought. Then the Hounds came, and he began to speak with he w-who... led them. I... attempted to withdraw... b-b-but then the stone began to c-capture... Kosha. I..." Here, the girl's voice audibly cracks, roughening further, but with stark and stoic resignation she forces herself to finish her tale. "The... I-Imphadi Samein began to try to order th-the Hounds to take me within Delphi, but they would not do it... I... just wanted him to let Kosha go. He... did, and then the Hound bade me to come to Delphi o... or be tapped... and then the D-Dominus Gaelius came and... flew me back here." Here, at last, she stops her recitation and awaits further questions, closing her eyes a bit more tightly against the dampness leaking up from their corners. "Control your emotions girl," Ranjeet chides her lightly, but not with malice, but rather a degree of compassion. "In your distress you become less clear. On the previous occasion you say that the Imphadi was angry with you. How angry? How do you know he was angry? What did he say to you?" The chair creaks lightly as Ranjeet reaches down, his hand catching Faanshi's chin and forcing her gaze up to his own. The shudra does not resist the lifting of her chin; if anything, she seems to accept this peremptory exterior alteration of her own position with the same resignation with which she has been recounting her story. Green eyes, wet and bleak of gaze, look hollowly up now into Ranjeet's dark ones. "He spoke sharply to me, Imphadi Minister," she whispers in hoarse tones, "a-and said that he was... very sad that I would not... develop a..." She pauses to swallow hard, and there comes a flicker of something like furtive wariness across her tear-bright eyes, as though perhaps she fears the reaction she might be about to gain. But if she does, she apparently has resigned herself to whatever is coming, for she does speak on. "A Will of my own... and h-he said that having his willingness to teach, comfort, and nurture m... me t-trampled upon by a stultified sense of duty to a system he loathed was too much." The pronoun comes out of her almost inaudibly, all the words thereafter uttered entirely without inflection; now, too, tears are coursing freely down her cheeks. But she does not move her chin within the Minister's grasp. Shaking his head in displeasure, not at her, but at the girls tale, Ranjeet rumbles, "You did the right thing, and it does not mean that you do not have a will of your own, but that you choose to respect the wishes of your mistress. Anyone can be disobedient ... it takes greater courage to be faithful. He is an old fool and wishes to use you as a tool against the Varati people he has turned away from." His hand releases her chin, but a light finger against the underside of her jaw instructs Faanshi to keep her gaze raised to his. "Do you fear that he was right? That you have no will, or that you are a slave to duty?" A tiny glimmer of surprise shows itself in the maiden's timid eyes; this, it seems, is not a course she had expected this conversation to take. And indeed, Faanshi wonders in bemusement, why would the Imphadi Minister care what is within her heart? Still, though... he has asked, he has bidden her be truthful, and if there is anything she has learned in the course of nearly nineteen years of life, it is to be as truthful as she can at all times... especially when a man has bidden it of her. "I... know my duty, Imphadi Minister," comes her humble whisper. "I-I only f-fear that I have failed it... because I could not help him u-understand... and because my heart is heavy, because I thought that the Imphadi Samein was... as a father to me." Shaking his head again, Ranjeet rumbles, "It is not your duty to teach and explain the most basic principles of the Varati people to one who is your superior and should know better. You have not failed your duty. If you had gone in with him, allowed the guilt in your heart to sway your mind, then you would have betrayed your duty and would have to face the consequences of such an action, as we all do. As Imphadi Saemin will soon learn for himself as well." Reaching into a pocket, Ranjeet passes Faanshi a square of soft fabric for her to dry her tears upon. "That he failed -you- as a father figure ... for that I am sorry." But, there is still business to attend to, and his features compose themselves as Ranjeet presses onward. "Upon the next interaction with the Imphadi, you say that he was both apologetic and pleasant? What exactly did he say to you then?" In visible bemusement, the girl eyes the proffered cloth, unused to even such a small gesture of compassion. But she does not reject the gift, and in small, tentative motions, she dabs at her eyes with as little of the cloth as possible, as though unwilling to wet it any more than absolutely necessary. "Thank you, Imphadi," she whispers; then, as swiftly as she can manage, she makes herself continue. "H-he apologized for causing me hurt, and... I apologized for causing him disappointment a-as a teacher... and then he said that he was sorry I-I would not break 'these molds' and that it would obstruct me more th-than I will ever know and that it hurt him... and then I-I told him that I did not... understand why I had to explain to him why going against Imphada Kiera is to g-go against the Amir-al..." And then, with that, she stops. The conversation she is recounting has managed to emblazon itself into her brain these past four days, but only just now does some of the import of what Samein tried to claim to er begin to sink in. In a strangely confused voice she then goes on, "And then... he... said something about... Imphada Kiera being shudra by the Old Laws... and Most High wanted to spite him... and then the Hounds came." Holding up a hand to hold the progression of the story, Ranjeet probes upon this point delicately, but with quiet determination. "Was he officially sanctioned to be your teacher? Did you ask this man to be your teacher, or did he inform you that he was going to instruct you? Or was this arrangement something more accepted and assumed rather than formally agreed upon by both you and Imphadi Samein??" This provokes another blink out of the girl, as Faanshi finds herself at something of a loss as to why this would be relevant. Awkwardly, nevertheless, she attempts to formulate a proper reply, brow furrowing as she sifts back through recent months of memory. "We... met... many months ago, and he offered to help me... he seemed worried because I am halfbreed... I spoke with Imphada FallingStar, who also teaches me... " She pauses to pull in a breath, then continues, "It was just before the storms in the magic. And then I spoke with Imphada Kiera and she said that he could teach me but that she wished me to not go into Delphi because she did not trust him in Delphi." There is a long quiet moment while Ranjeet considers the statement, mulling over her words and the implications of them. "But Imphada Kiera did give you permission to be taught by him so long as it was outside of Delphi?? Did she give any reason why lessons from him were acceptable under those conditions only??" After all, it would seem that if Kiera did not trust the man within the wall of Delphi, why would she trust him any more outside of them? Or was it merely Delphi that she mistrusted so? "Also, you said that after you expressed your concerns over why you should have to explain to him that in serving Imphada Kiera you were in turn serving the Amir-al, that he claimed that Kiera was shudra under the "Old Laws"? What did he mean by this. Please explain more clearly what he said in regards to Imphada Kiera and her status within the Varati Sphere." Faanshi shifts very subtly upon the cushion beneath her knees, uneasy of eye now, though she does not look away. It has, after all, been bidden -- even if without words -- that she continue to meet the gaze of her visitor. "Imphada Kiera told me that I m-might allow him to teach me if it was not within Delphi, yes, Imphadi Minister... she said that... he once tried to banish her from Haven. This must have been before she rescued me from Clan Sarazen. I thought that... perhaps I could... make things better between them." She swallows behind her veil, not bothering to elaborate upon the fact that she was obviously wrong. Then, unhappily, she appends, her hands wringing slowly but fretfully in her lap, "I-I did not understand it either when the Imphadi Samein spoke of Old Laws... all I remember is that he said... that her position was flawed. It was then that the Hounds came and he said nothing more about that, Imphadi Minister." There is a curt nod. "And you also said the he claimed that the Amir-al was trying to spite him? Were those his words exactly?? When the Hounds arrived, was the Imphadi still pleasant or was he now less so? Did he go and speak with the leader of the group alone, or did he bring you with him? Did you hear what he said to the leader of the Hounds??" The questions come faster now, and harder, the Foreign Minister clearly not liking the tale that he is hearing, but determined to ferret out every little detail. It would seem that it is the details that are the crucial point. Like solving any mystery, it is often the small, nearly overlooked clues and commentary that are the most telling. Awkwardly, their speed and the relatively fresh memory of the encounter rendering them raw even in her soft voice, the words of Faanshi's answer shape themselves. "He said... something about... Imphada Kiera being made... more sane... save for the Amir-al's desire to spite him," she murmurs, miserably. "And then the Hounds came... three... I-Imphadi Samein turned to talk to their leader. I-I-I thought I'd seen that man before... I told him once after I healed a Mongrel in the street that my service belonged to the Most High. I... then tried to go... but the stone began to catch Kosha... and I could not leave my poor dog... I-Imphadi Samein... and the Hound leader... t-talked about my magic while the stone swallowed Kosha and... I-I-I became afraid... I... I tried to hit Imphadi Samein and two men stopped me and the Hound leader would not take me away as Imphadi Samein asked..." "Control yourself," Ranjeet reprimands her a little more sternly now. "You are starting to babble and make no sense. One question at a time then. I do not understand what you mean by Samein's statement that the Amir-al's desire to spite him. What does Imphada Kiera have to do with this?" Faanshi's eyes can be seen to close themselves sharply, and the hands she's kept lying in her lap now clench the square of soft cloth in their slender fingers. "I only know, Imphadi Minister," she breathes out mournfully, "that Imphada Kiera... and Imphadi Samein... must have fought or that... he must have... tried to take her into Delphi before I became her shudra. And each time... I spoke to him of needing to obey my imphada... he became angry with me." His patience is stretching thin, and Ranjeet reiterates his question once again. "And what does -this- have to do with the Amir-al wishing to spite Imphadi Samein??" There is a soft hiss of irritation as Ranjeet sits back in the chair, the seat creaking beneath the sudden movement. Her voice turning toneless once more, Faanshi whispers, eyes still up though now their bleak look has redoubled, "I do not know, Imphadi Minister. You asked f-for all the details I could remember and that is what the Imphadi Samein said." Nodding, it would seem that a claim of ignorance was all she had to proffer to satisfy Ranjeet. That elusive detail can be pursued through a different avenue of investigation. "Very well. So the Imphadi went to talk to the Hounds ... could you hear anything that he said to them, yes or no? If yes, what did you hear him say?" Calm. She must be calm. Samein might have told her she has no will -- and whether he meant magical will or strength of spirit in general, she has not said -- but Faanshi nevertheless seems to find enough discipline to keep her voice from shaking. "They stood before me, imphadi, and so I heard them. The Imphadi Samein bid the Hound to take me into Delphi and put me into a room." "Just like that? He just approached the leader of the patrol and gave him this order without discussing it with you or explaining it to the Hound in charge?" Ranjeet leans forward, rugged hands ... certainly not the hands one might expect of a diplomat, weaving together before him as he listens intently. "How was this order phrased - angrily? Demandingly? Calmly?" Ranjeet's rugged hands provide Faanshi a safer place to rest her gaze than his intent dark eyes -- and, strangely enough, watching them seems to calm her somewhat. They are good hands, she tells herself, the hands of a working man. Hands like Lyre's -- though, at that thought, the girl shakes herself with a touch of uneasiness, for she does not know how this man the Amir-al has made a kshatri would react to her comparing him to a Mongrel. "He said nothing more to me, Imphadi Minister," she whispers. "Not even... when he had the rock release Kosha. He did not sound angry... he sounded... distant." And that is what has caused her the greatest pain of all: Samein's withdrawal. "Go slowly," Ranjeet intones firmly, those strong hands remaining still for her focus, fingers lightly callused in such a way as to hint at fine and dexterous work. "Imphadi Samein commanded the leader of the Hounds to take you into Delphi and confine you to a room there. What happened next, and I need you to describe this to me moment for moment - what Samein said, what the Hound said, and what actions were taken, in the precise order that they occurred. This is most crucial, so take your time, take a deep breath, and think very carefully about the events of that afternoon." His voice is low and resonant ... not the voice of a singer, but commanding and assuring, with it's own richness of tone and character. "He... called the Hound... 'his Hound', and... asked what his duty was. The Hound said that... I was powerful... my control stable." Faanshi utters this without any apparent pride. "He said... that he would make a report and... I would have to go to a tribunal." Faanshi focuses her hollow green stare upon those hands of Ranjeet's, aware of the look of a certain Mongrel bard's hands in contrast and stricken all at once with a wave of loneliness. But there is no sign of this in her voice; it registers only as an even bleaker cast to her leaf-hued gaze. "He told the Hound to lock me away... and I begged the Imphadi not to do it, to let Kosha go... but he did not answer me. He told a-another Hound to take me away or he would make the stone entomb him... and the first Hound refused to do it and told him he would be breaking the law... and... and I tried to hit the Imphadi Samein, but a Hound caught me and so did another man who was of the Varati." This last confession is delivered in her bleakest and most humble tone yet. "You have missed something," Ranjeet corrects firmly, "I asked you to explain the situation step by step." There is a soft sigh of quiet frustration, as Ranjeet reiterates firmly, a slight hint of threat in his voice. "One thing at a time, and skip -nothing-. He called the Hound "his Hound"? What do you mean he asked "what his duty was"? And what was the Hounds response?? Clearly he did not ask the Hound, "Is this girl a threat?" You -must- be more precise. When in all of this was your ... dog, I assume??, trapped in stone ... and by whom and why??" There is another sharp breath of irritation, his hands shifting impatiently now. "Slower if you must .... I will not repeat myself on this point again, shudra." "I apologize for my failure, Imphadi Minister," the maiden murmurs, even as something flinches inside her. Between the vivid, searing memory of what befell her in the Rialto and this man's stern questioning, she can feel his rebuke all too keenly. She does not let herself dwell overlong upon how this can be taken as yet another example of the fact that as a halfbreed, as a shudra, as a woman, she simply has very little place in anyone's world... at least if you include the Varati as 'anyone'. She does not let herself dwell overlong, now, on what Samein's betrayal has done to her heart. She does not even allow herself to think overlong of the comfort of a certain Mongrel bard's shoulder she is now craving. Something fragile and frightened inside her hides itself in a back corner of her soul, leaving only an empty pair of eyes staring at Ranjeet Khalida's dark, rough hands. Faanshi's voice, too, turns empty. But now she also speaks without a stammer. "I heard only that he called the Atlantean 'his Hound'. I do not understand why he did that. The Hound said that his duty was to report me and that I would have to go to a tribunal. As the Imphadi Samein and the Hound spoke my dog Kosha was sinking into the stone before them and so I did not leave although I wanted to. I thought that it must be Imphadi Samein causing it because he is a powerful stone-mage and I have seen him shape the stone before. I do not understand why he would do such a thing." There is a long and thoughtful hrmmmmm that rumbles from deep in the Foreign Minister's throat, and again he questions her, though his tone is less condemning now. "Part of your statement makes no sense. You claimed before that the Hound said you were both powerful and that your control was stable. If this was the case, why would he then state that he would have to report you and that you would have to go to a tribunal?? Did Imphadi Samein disagree with the Hound's determination of your state and demand a tribunal? Or was that decision made when he refused to take you in, as a conciliatory gesture toward Samein ... or in reaction to your ... physical attack??" "I remember that the Imphadi Samein asked him what his duty was, and the Hound's first answer was to say that his duty would be to report me and that the tribunal would take place," comes the girl's almost lifeless reply. "The Imphadi Samein then ordered him to take... " Here, for a fraction of an instant, her voice threatens to break again. But before, it had been an audible catch in her voice; now, in conjunction with that emptiness that has welled across her eyes, it registers as little more than an extra pause to catch her breath. "Take me away. The Hound did not want to do it because I was not consumed. He said that that would be against the law and that the tribal would have to decide what to do with me and that if I belonged to the Amir-al then I should be easy to find. The other two hounds also refused to take me into Delphi and then the Imphadi Samein went away, and he told me, 'Never forget this. Never forget our mortal capacity to be cruel.'" "Aye," Ranjeet rumbles thoughtfully, "he indeed proved the mortal capacity of cruelty ... by demonstrating it himself." Shaking his head, Ranjeet rises up from his seat. "Rise, shudra Faanshi, and be assured. You are protected by your people, and we shall not tolerate one of our own being tormented, abused, humiliated, or terrified. Imphadi Samein shall learn the error of his ways. You will neither have to submit yourself to a tribunal, nor will you have to enter the gates of Delphi. Through Imphadi Samein, they have gravely overstepped their bounds, and must make amends for it." Again, his hand reaches to catch her chin, raising her gaze to his, those dark eyes and dark voice each softer and gentler now. "I am sorry that you had to experience such a betrayal. It is never easy. But I needed you to be clear and accurate, and thus was I hard and firm with you. If you have any questions regarding this situation, or what is proper conduct amongst the other races, you may come and inquire at my offices. I understand that your mistress is frequently away, and you must have many questions that you have no one to ask." To the shudra girl, it is almost as if she can feel her body move and her voice respond to the Minister's words without her consciously willing either to happen. Once again her chin does not resist being moved; once again her gaze is brought to meet the kshatri man's. Her sight registers the gentling of his visage; her ears register the gentling of his words. And some outer part of her responds to them, saying meekly, "I thank you for your graciousness to the Amir-al's humble servant, Imphadi, and for your discipline." Upon more than that she does not elaborate, for some inner part of her hears only four words out of the rest of those that Ranjeet utters: _You have no one._ And thus, even as she appends tonelessly, "I have but one question to ask, and that is what penance I must pay for attempting to strike an elder of the Varati people," the eyes that meet Ranjeet's retain that stark void. "I assume you are refering to Imphadi Samein?" Ranjeet's eyes cool fractionally and narrow. "While in general striking an elder superior is quite serious, in this case I do not believe you deserve any punishment. You were being coerced and he was trying to force you to disobey your mistress. You resisted. I would not consider you, under these circumstances, guilty of any crime or deserving punishment." One cautionary hand does raise though as the Foreign Minister adds, "However, in the future consider your actions carefully ... you might not always be in the right. Others might disagree with my pronouncement, but since you were dealing with a man who is no longer truly Varati, you had every right to protect yourself." "I will do as you advise, imphadi," is all the maiden says in response to those cautionary words, her dainty head nodding fractionally by way of punctuation. All her prior emotional turmoil has apparently simply... drained away from her, for now the picture she presents is that of dutiful, attentive servant, nothing more. Now that she is on her feet again she holds a maidenly posture, her hands clasping at her breast, her delicate chin lifted only by virtue of the dark fingers that tipped it upward. Tears still streak the edges of her eyes, but they have ceased now, and their tracks are the only sign that this girl had a short time ago been displaying all the marks of a fragile soul who has suffered a profound betrayal. His head dips slightly, raven ringlets rolling forward and then back again with the gesture. The fingers drop away, leaving only their faint heat as a reminder of their touch. "Very well Faanshi, you may return to ... whatever duties you have." Stepping back, Ranjeet inclines his head once again in what can only seem to be a mark of ... respect? Or perhaps it is just confirmation that this interview is at a close, for he turns gracefully and with a quiet determined stride, makes his way toward the door and leaves without another word. [End log.]