**Laris**

Laris headed down toward the dining hall, her stomach rumbling.  She hadn't
eaten much today, just a little bread for breakfast; then she had forgotten
lunch while she had worked in the kitchen.  (How do you do THAT?)  So now, a
little later than usual, she was heading over to stop the growling of her
stomach with a little food.

When she got to the hall, she saw that there were very few people around.
Most of the people were dragonriders, but she recognized a few of the
unjoined people who worked in the warren.

After she had gotten her food, she looked for a place to sit.  Finding an
empty table, she headed towards it, only to bump into something.

"Oof," the person said, and Laris struggled to keep her balance, trying not
to drop the tray.  "Can't you watch where you're going?" the voice asked
angrily.

"I'm sorry," Laris apologized, looking up.  "I just didn't see----"  She
stopped midsentence, staring.  "Lyonnia?" she asked quietly, staring.

"Who?" the red haired girl answered.  "Sorry, you have the wrong person.
I'm Kessa, not....Lyonnia."

Laris didn't answer, just kept staring.  She noticed the differences, now
that she had a closer look.  This girl's face was a little more angular than
her daughter's, and had brown eyes, but the heighth was the same, and that
hair.....  Laris realized that she was being rude, and looked away.  She
noticed the girl seemed a little nervous, so tried to lighten up the mood.
"I was just about to sit down to eat.  Would you care to join me?"

Kessa looked up quickly, an incredulous expression on her face.  She nodded,
not knowing what else to do.

Laris, unaware of the girl-who-looked-like-her-daughter's thoughts, smiled
back and beckoned to the seat she had been headed to.  Laris, noticing Kessa
didn't have any food, offered to go get her some, but Kessa declined the
offer.  "I'm not really hungry," she said, smiling.  She had never been
waited on before; she had always done the waiting.  And everything else
too.....  She closed the thought from her mind, not wanting it to intrude.

"So," Laris started, "how did you get to the warren?  I haven't seen you
before.  Oh," she said, holding out her hand, "I'm Laris."

Kessa shook her hand and shrugged.  "Circumstances brought me here."  Laris
waited patiently for her to continue, but it soon became clear that there
would be no elaboration.  Clearing her throat, she tried to break the
unnatural silence.  "So, were you Searched?"

Remembering her meeting with the warrenlady, Kessa nodded.  "I guess you
could say that. Maybe not in the usual way though...."  She trailed off,
leaving Laris to wonder what she meant.  Laris decided then that the girl,
for whatever reason, didn't want to talk about her past, so tried a
different tactic.  "What are you going to be doing today?"

Kessa smiled, happy to be off the touchy subject, and said, "I wasn't really
planning anything.  Maybe just a little exploring of the warren."

"Oh, you have to come with me then!"  Laris smiled reassuringly at the girl.
As Kessa smiled back, Laris thought, She looks to be around the age of my
daughter too.  Only, she appeared much more mature, rough, than Lyonnia was.  

They talked some more as Laris ate her food.  The girl didn't seem to
talkative, like she wasn't used to talking socially.  As a result, Laris
seemed to do a lot of the talking, but she didn't mind.  Mostly, she
answered questions for the girl about the warren.

When the girl asked about the free nature of the warren, though, Laris
caught a strange look in her eye.  "Is it true that the warren people tend
to be more.....sexually open than most?" Kessa asked, staring intently at Laris.

"Yes," Laris responded immediately.  Somehow, she felt that this was a
serious topic for the girl in front of her, but kept a firm rein on her
curiousity.  "The people of a warren don't marry much like the landborn do.
Many times the dragonriders are unable to remain true completely to their
mates because their dragons fly to mate.  Have you seen this before?"  When
she saw Kessa's head shake, she smiled slightly.  "It's different from what
you'd expect.  The female dragon just suddenly roars, and takes off, and is
followed by many males.  Whichever male wins the female, his rider wins the
female's rider.  That's pretty much it."

She saw that Kessa seemed to be pondering this information and wondered yet
again what life had delt this girl.  She seemed nice enough; maybe a little
quiet, but so was Lyonnia at times.  Laris just couldn't get over the
resemblence.  They could almost be twins, she thought.  Almost.....

"So, where are you going?" Kessa asked, breaking into Laris' thoughts.

"Oh, I just wanted to do some exploring myself.  Maybe go out to the forest
and get some herbs."  Seeing the distaste plain on the younger girl's face,
Laris smiled.  "You're just like my daughter.  She doesn't like it either."
Finishing her last bite, she swallowed and asked, "You going to come?"

Kessa thought for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Okay.  When?"

"Oh good!" Laris stated, clapping her hands together like a child in
delight.  "I'll need to get my stuff from the kitchens.  I work there, you
know," she said offhandedly.  She glanced at Kessa and, noticing for the
first times the clothing the younger girl had one, pursed her lips.  "How
about we stop at the clothier first, before we go out?"  She missed Kessa's
nod as she glanced at her timepiece.  "About....20 minutes sound okay?
Outside of this hall?"  

She smiled as KEssa nodded and, standing up, waved and headed to the
kitchen, goining over plans for her, and Kessa's, day.


**Kessa**

Kessa watched as the older woman walked off.  She was slightly stunned;
nobody had ever talked to her as an equal.  Ever.  She had been so stunned
during the conversation that she hadn't known quite how to react; she had
accepted the friendly offer before she had thought it through.  That wasn't
like her; she usually didn't accept social offers, no matter how nice or
harmless they seemed.  She had learned from past experience not to trust
anyone; they always had ulterior motives.  This woman, though, seemed genuine.  

Kessa briefly considered not showing up in twenty minutes, but after
thinking, decided against it.  This woman doesn't know about me, she
thought, yet she seemed to want to get to know me.  She didn't try to pry,
like so many others had.  She had kept a respectable distance, not digging
into Kessa or judging her.

She also didn't ignore her.  Laris had listened intently to any comments,
however small, Kessa had made.  They had talked as equals, although Laris
seemed to talk more.  Kessa, in the middle of their little meeting, had
begun to envy the girl Lyonnia, the daughter of Laris.  Kessa wished she had
had such a mother.  Maybe she would have turned out differently.
Unfortunately, that hadn't happened, and what had happened had happened...

Kessa pushed the past from her mind and headed to her temporary room to get
ready.  Laris had told her that they would be going to the clothiers, but
she still wanted to look better than she did.  She felt the need to impress
this woman, something she had never felt before.  She didn't ponder the
question but headed to her room, praying that there would be something in
her wardrobe that she could wear.

Twenty minutes later, she was ready, and headed back to the dining hall.
She had found little in her wardrobe, only the summer dress she was wearing.
She tugged at it, uncomfortable.  It was longer than she was used to, almost
to mid-shin, and a pale green color.  She was wearing some old but
comfortable moccasins that didn't match her dress, but she had nothing else.

Laris was there waiting for her.  Her eyebrows shot up when she saw Kessa's
outfit, and commented not unkindly, "Is that the best thing you have?"

Kessa blushed and, swallowing her pride, nodded.  She heard Laris grunt
softly and mumble, "Well, we'll have to change that."  Taking Kessa's hand,
Laris began pulling the girl down towards the shops.  For the rest of the
day, they tried on clothes, shoes, hats, etc., whatever they could.  And
Kessa, for the first time in her life, felt like a real person, with Laris
as a friend.


NRPG:  Okay.  I kind of made Laris a friend of Kessa's.  I don't think that
Titus is going to get his "whore" without a fight from both Kessa and Laris.
Alton:  Sorry for leaving you out of so many of my posts.  Tell me if you
need any post.

***HUGS everyone***

****Respectfully submitted by****
Sarah
Lyonnia/Dianthus *Telnor*
Laris *Telnor*