[NRPG: We haven't actually hit this point at Marrid, but I decided I really 
needed to get Brisse to Cleft, so, Mike E. whenever you're ready to post, 
I'll backpost Brisse's reaction.  Same goes for her earlier visit to check 
out Cleft (if need be), her leavetaking from Marrid and for anyone else who 
wants to interract with her at Marrid before she leaves.  This doesn't 
really need to be archived at Marrid.  It's just for your information.]

[Timeframe: A week or two after the Council, probably before many of the 
other arrivals (yeah, it's a backpost), just before nightfall]

Brisse looked ahead to the nearing cavern complex that was slowly being 
made into a proper warren.  From her earlier visit, she knew that most of 
the living quarters were still rough, natural caves.  But, it certainly 
wouldn't remind her of Marrid.

A sheep started to stray away from the herd and several started to follow.  
The stubborn thing!  She had spent more time keeping that one sheep in line 
than she had on the rest of the herd.

"Cha, stray!" she said, pointing to the strays with her staff.  The herd 
dog, Cha, immediately flanked the group of strays, barking, and Brisse cut 
off their retreat, forcing them back into the herd.  "Good girl, Cha."

The trip from Lendenval had been long and tortuous, but somehow the 
physical effort had let her forget her sadness for a while.  The nights had 
been the hardest.  The Lendenval herders, who would not be staying at Cleft 
would sit about the fire and talk of things of which she knew little and 
cared less.  The herder from Marrid who would be staying, Rupal, looked at 
her in ways that bothered her somehow and she avoided conversation with 
him.  That left Cha as her only companion at night.  She was thankful for 
the dog's warmth on the cold nights.

Now Cleft was in sight.  She hoped her days of loneliness would be ended 
there.  She thought of Mukale, so lost with the death of his partner and 
lover, Sky, and wondered if he was well.  She had grown to care for him over 
the weeks she had known him.  She lifted a silent prayer to Delias for him.

Finally, they passed the first cave and a few riders came out to meet them.  
She recognised the warrenlady, Cynthia, among them.  She left to the 
Lendenval herders the task of herding the mass of sheep and goats into the 
grounds prepared for them while she stepped up to Cynthia with Rupal right 
on her heels.  The man elbowed past her.

"Warrenlady Cynthia, I'm Rupal of Marrid and this is--"

"Brisse," Cynthia interrupted.  "We've already met.  I hope your journey 
was well?"  Though the question was addressed to both of them, Cynthia's 
eyes came to rest on Brisse's face, looking for signs of her mental state.

Brisse nodded while Rupal barrelled on.  "It was quite well, Lady Cynthia.  
Though I should probably take Brisse and find something to eat, as we ate 
only lightly so we could be here before dark."

Cynthia nodded.  "We've set up a kitchen and dining area there for now," 
she said, pointing.  "You go on ahead, I wish to speak to Brisse."

The man hesitated, then shrugged and went on.  After he was out of earshot, 
the warrenlady smiled.  "You didn't seem to particularly want his company."

Brisse smiled back, though the smile still barely touched her eyes.  "He is 
a bit..."  She shrugged, at a loss for words.

"Overbearing," Cynthia provided.

Brisse nodded.

"You won't have problems working with him, will you?"

"No, warrenlady--"

"Cynthia," her elder corrected

"Cynthia.  Sheep and goats and kine don't care much which human thinks he's 
in charge."

Cynthia chuckled.  "I don't suppose so."  They turned and watched as the 
horse-mounted herders herded the cattle at the end of the caravan into the 
area for them.  "Now we can finally allow some transfers to actually move, 
beyond the skeleton crew we've had here so far.  This herd was much 
needed."

Brisse nodded, then blushed as her stomach growled.

"I think we'd better get you to the... 'Dining Hall' and soon," Cynthia 
said.  "I haven't eaten yet, come eat with me.  That way you can avoid your 
fellow herder."

Brisse accepted gladly, and walked with Cynthia to the cavern that was set 
up as a temporary dining hall.

******

[The day Kendra, B'rand, Raissa and Kehan all arrive]

Brisse watched the mating flight and the mid-air collision from her 
position among the herds.  She was relieved to see that neither dragon was 
hurt.  She was dreading the day when the first dragon died at Cleft.

The warren was coming alive with all the new arrivals.  People were 
excitedly talking about the upcoming hatching, which would be any day now.  
The queen egg and who would join it was the subject of much speculation. 
Brisse was holding an internal debate about attending.  It would seem 
somewhat odd for a member of the warren community to always forego watching 
hatchings, but she wasn't sure she could stand to watch it, remembering 
that fateful hatching day at Marrid so long ago.

******

[Dinnertime]

Brisse sat down at the table by herself, as she had so often in the time, 
over a month now, that she had been there.  Rupal had largely left her 
alone when he had learned, to his horror, that she had religious objections 
to birth control.  Delians were widely misunderstood and she expected she 
would be moreso at a warren where sex was so free.  But, there was no going 
back to her parents' home.  If only things had been different, but Delias 
had apparently had other plans.

A voice startled her out of her reverie, "Hi.  Mind if I sit here?"

Respectfully submitted,
 Lynette R. F. Cowper
  Brisse

NRPG: I have no idea who it is.  Whoever wants to write their character 
joining her for dinner, feel free.

---
|   Lynette R. F. Cowper  *  Official INWO Rules NetRep & Goddess    |
| http://www.io.com/~lcowper  *  lcowper@io.com  *  lcowper@indy.net |
|  "If people never did silly things, nothing intelligent would ever |
|                   get done."  -- L. Wittgenstein                   |