know he’s a sergeant and that he reports to me. I imagine he has an opinion on which lancers you might want in your new company as well.”
Δ
Jalan knows that once the captains gather their companies he will be left with the least desirable lancers. He needs a way to hang on to a handful of good archers and he thinks he knows how to do it. Before doing anything else, Jalan follows Major Erida’s advice and seeks out Sedic. In short order they compile a list of good archers and Jalan goes to see Lady Darla.
Next Jalan visits Mistress Treana, the Yen family seamstress. He does not recall any time in his life that he actually sought the woman out. Past visits have all been made under silent protest and lasted only as long as it took the seamstress to measure him. His sister Vee, on the other hand, had to be told to stop requesting new garments. She is now limited to one new dress every season and cannot approach Mistress Treana without mother in tow.
The seamstress is the only practitioner of a trade that works exclusively for the family. Jalan does not know how it came to be, but Mistress Treana has her own quarters, shop and salon tucked away in one wing of Yen Manor. He suspects that between mother and his four sisters, there has always been enough work in progress that close proximity made the greatest sense. Even after marriage and moving away, both Guri and Aena have visited Yen Manor in order to have Treana create gowns for them.
At the door to Mistress Treana’s salon, Jalan knocks and waits. Before he can take two breaths the door is opened by Mistress Treana’s personal maid, Brianne.
“Young mister Jalan! What a nice surprise. Please, come in. I will let my mistress know you are here,” says Brianne in a lilting singsong.
Jalan has never understood how the woman can put so much energy into everything she says. He withholds speculation on a cause and simply says, “Thank you.”
The salon is not large. There are several chairs and a small love seat arranged against the walls. The center of the room is clear and easily seen from any seat in the room. Jalan recalls being forced to stand there and be inspected by his mother and Mistress Treana as they fussed over some detail of an article of clothing. He sets aside his reminiscing when Mistress Treana enters through a doorway at the back of the room.
“Jalan!” she says with an exuberance similar to her maid’s. “Let me guess.” Mistress Treana studies him as she taps her lower lip with the index finger of her left hand. “You are looking for something in Tan and Blue? Perhaps with the insignia piping of a captain?”
Mistress Treana is a notorious gossip who is well informed about anything deemed to be public knowledge. She has a spotless reputation for never being the first to reveal anything or having ever tarnished the reputation of the Yen family. But once someone else reveals anything, the seamstress learns of it very quickly. Jalan would not be surprised if Treana knows what he was thinking even before Jalan himself does.
“You are very perceptive,” says Jalan. He has learned that this is the answer his mother always gives when Mistress Treana is correct about something.
“Very good. Let me take your measurements. I am sure you have grown since I saw you last.”
After a few moments of working with a knotted string that she runs along or wraps around various parts of Jalan’s body, Mistress Treana writes figures on a slate tablet using a bit of chalk. Jalan knows she has several slates and uses one for every project she has going. With the measuring and writing complete, Mistress Treana asks Jalan to return in two days for a fitting. He thanks her and is escorted out of the salon by Brianne.
“Good day, young mister Jalan!” reverberates through the hallway as Brianne closes the door behind him.
With his current needs as lancer captain out of the way, all Jalan must do is find Master Enmar and explain the sudden requirement to
Δ
Jalan knows that once the captains gather their companies he will be left with the least desirable lancers. He needs a way to hang on to a handful of good archers and he thinks he knows how to do it. Before doing anything else, Jalan follows Major Erida’s advice and seeks out Sedic. In short order they compile a list of good archers and Jalan goes to see Lady Darla.
Next Jalan visits Mistress Treana, the Yen family seamstress. He does not recall any time in his life that he actually sought the woman out. Past visits have all been made under silent protest and lasted only as long as it took the seamstress to measure him. His sister Vee, on the other hand, had to be told to stop requesting new garments. She is now limited to one new dress every season and cannot approach Mistress Treana without mother in tow.
The seamstress is the only practitioner of a trade that works exclusively for the family. Jalan does not know how it came to be, but Mistress Treana has her own quarters, shop and salon tucked away in one wing of Yen Manor. He suspects that between mother and his four sisters, there has always been enough work in progress that close proximity made the greatest sense. Even after marriage and moving away, both Guri and Aena have visited Yen Manor in order to have Treana create gowns for them.
At the door to Mistress Treana’s salon, Jalan knocks and waits. Before he can take two breaths the door is opened by Mistress Treana’s personal maid, Brianne.
“Young mister Jalan! What a nice surprise. Please, come in. I will let my mistress know you are here,” says Brianne in a lilting singsong.
Jalan has never understood how the woman can put so much energy into everything she says. He withholds speculation on a cause and simply says, “Thank you.”
The salon is not large. There are several chairs and a small love seat arranged against the walls. The center of the room is clear and easily seen from any seat in the room. Jalan recalls being forced to stand there and be inspected by his mother and Mistress Treana as they fussed over some detail of an article of clothing. He sets aside his reminiscing when Mistress Treana enters through a doorway at the back of the room.
“Jalan!” she says with an exuberance similar to her maid’s. “Let me guess.” Mistress Treana studies him as she taps her lower lip with the index finger of her left hand. “You are looking for something in Tan and Blue? Perhaps with the insignia piping of a captain?”
Mistress Treana is a notorious gossip who is well informed about anything deemed to be public knowledge. She has a spotless reputation for never being the first to reveal anything or having ever tarnished the reputation of the Yen family. But once someone else reveals anything, the seamstress learns of it very quickly. Jalan would not be surprised if Treana knows what he was thinking even before Jalan himself does.
“You are very perceptive,” says Jalan. He has learned that this is the answer his mother always gives when Mistress Treana is correct about something.
“Very good. Let me take your measurements. I am sure you have grown since I saw you last.”
After a few moments of working with a knotted string that she runs along or wraps around various parts of Jalan’s body, Mistress Treana writes figures on a slate tablet using a bit of chalk. Jalan knows she has several slates and uses one for every project she has going. With the measuring and writing complete, Mistress Treana asks Jalan to return in two days for a fitting. He thanks her and is escorted out of the salon by Brianne.
“Good day, young mister Jalan!” reverberates through the hallway as Brianne closes the door behind him.
With his current needs as lancer captain out of the way, all Jalan must do is find Master Enmar and explain the sudden requirement to
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