RP post: Demeter and NPCs, in the villa rustica near Faesulae

[ostro_goth]

[[Some days after this]]

Witichis had stayed a night longer than all his guests -- only one night, and he was off again, leaving some of his armed men to watch over the womenfolk, along with staunch Wachis and the grooms.

Of which there was one more, now, as Duke Totila had left the Greek groom from Neapolis, also, as a 'gift' to his hostess. All knew how that was meant, and were glad about it, none more than Berenike, the Greek maid from Cyprus.

Little Athalwin was openly cranky: shiny Totila had left, his father had left soon after, and quiet Teja had not played his harp again. He was poking the grass with a stick, quite displeased; and Ursula, spreading the used and washed linen on the lawn, had to keep him from treading upon it.

Comments

[wheatencrown]

Demeter finds her way towards the villa, there's love and worry there and she kneels and smiles at Athalwin speaking to him quietly,

"Be kind to your mother, child, she has much to do."

[ostro_goth]

"Yes," he said, not looking at the woman, and sulking. "She's set Ursula to watch me, and Ursula is strict! And busy! And all the heroes are gone again, even Count Teja!"

[wheatencrown]

"Perhaps if you helped her, she wouldn't be as busy. Heroes are good at making things brighter. Will you tell me about them?"

She reaches out to touch his hair and then pulls some bread from her sleeve and offers it to him.

[ostro_goth]

"Oh, we all know about that little fellow 'helping'," Ursula laughed, looking up from the sheet she was spreading. "Greetings, my lady!"

She knew Demeter, and yet knew her not; she did not speculate too deeply who her friend was, only that she came and went at odd times, and brought luck to all that would have it.

"Totila makes things brighter!" Athalwin said. "He has swan's wings on his helmet, and a white horse, and a beautiful sword! Teja is a hero, too, but he makes things darker."

[wheatencrown]

"Greetings, Ursula, have all those men left you this work?"

Her smile is warm and she looks again to Athalwin,

"Oh my he does sound like a hero from a tale. Poor Teja that he makes things dark. Come and help be make flower wreaths to honor your mother and the women who have helped her."

[ostro_goth]

"Oh, you can say that again!" Ursula said, rolling her eyes. "This is but a small bit of it! Like locusts passing through, with their weapons and their talks and their ever-hungry grooms and soldiers!"

Athalwin was munching the bread she had given him, spreading crumbs on the lawn. "Flowers are for girls," he murmurs; he has learned that much already. "I want a sword like my father has, or Totila. Teja has a battle axe. But he has a harp, too! And he only plays it sneakily."

[wheatencrown]

Demeter just laughs at Ursula's description and begins to help with the washing.

"You will be given weapons in time, Athalwin, no need to rush off to war so quickly. Why should he be sneaky with music, its better shared?"

[ostro_goth]

Ursula looks at Demeter with gratitude, giving her room so they can swing and pull the sheets together, to get them in shape before spreading them -- much easier that way!

"All heroes have weapons!" Athalwin says. "I will be a hero when I am big, too! I must practice lots before that!"

He looks at his toes, knowing that he will be told off if he asks if he may swing on a sheet; the women have far too much to do to indulge a child.

"All say Count Teja never plays for people," Athalwin says, "so we have to make like we're not there, or stand behind the door; he plays for us, and we listen sneakily, and we can't ask him for a song, because then Totila says he doesn't play for others, and Totila knows because he's been his best friend from when they were little!"

The little fellow seems to be finding this all rather absurd, and unfair.

[wheatencrown]

"That seems rather sad. Music should be shared. Did anyone ever tell him that they liked his music?"

Demeter grins at Athalwin, he's such a boy and as the sheet billows up, flower petals swirl down around his head.

[ostro_goth]

"Wheee!" he shouts, gleefully, turning around to catch them. He never wonders where they come from -- there's lots of flowers in the garden, after all!

"Count Teja is a complicated man," Ursula explains, spreading the sheet again, letting it billow so they may put it down upon the dew-clean grass. "His life has been hard and cruel, and he has no jollity in him, and takes no pleasure in that of others. One must be patient with him, like with a skittish horse that's been mistreated by its last owner. They call him the Black Count, and not just for his hair, cloak and armour!"

[wheatencrown]

"There must be some happiness and hope in him somewhere for no man can be truly dark."

The petals are a wonderful shower around Athalwin as Demeter sets the sheet down with a frown.

[ostro_goth]

Ursula picks up the next sheet from her basket.

"Do you know the ruined villa on Theodahad's land, God may strike him dead, a little bit off the road from Florentia to Luca, near the village called Vinci?" Ursula asks. "That is where Count Teja was born. Theodahad, God may strike him dead with shame and thunder, has stolen the land from his parents, and hounded them to death with the bishop's help -- what a shame! a man of God! and so greedy! -- when our Count was but a boy, hardly more than twice the age of that happily distracted little one, and then they say" -- she lowers her voice to a whisper -- "he was taken away by monks, to Rome, and only rescued years later! What childhood is that for a Gothic nobleman's son to have? Of course, he never speaks of it, but we remember, here."

[wheatencrown]

"Ah yes, that great sorrow is still felt there. So he is forever in mourning and fighting never living?"

Demeter reaches to take the next sheet and there's a touch of a storm in the air.

[ostro_goth]

Ursula unfolds the sheet, then folds it lengthwise, so they may pull it into shape between them.

"He is forever mourning, yes," she says. "Grim and dark and silent, and feared; the women from the town shrank from him as if from a demon! Our mistress, Rauthgundis, managed to reach out to him in her gentle, honest way; she is young yet, and he took pity on her awkwardness. She is very inexperienced at having guests, but this time, she acquitted herself wonderfully! She got him to like our smoked trout, and my moretum; and she took him his breakfast every morning. Wachis, the groom, is full of his praise, also; according to him, Count Teja is the best smith and the best hunter he has ever seen. He inspires fierce loyalty in those that take the time to know him, and he deserves it! But he takes no joy in it, either. He likes cats, and sad songs; but in a dark and wistful way, as if all pleasure reminded him of the inevitable pain to come."

[wheatencrown]

"Perhaps I can talk to him someday and see if I can find the green life inside him."

[ostro_goth]

"It would be worth the try," Ursula says, nodding. "He lives, he breathes, he eats and drinks and even sleeps at times; I have seen him asleep in the stable yard, with kittens sleeping on the hem of his cloak. There must be something that moves him towards good, something that keeps him alive; if all were darkness, he would not live, not move! He strikes me as an old-fashioned Goth that would kill himself rather than suffer dishonour, so he would do that, rather than falter under a dark mood, as some people do upon occasion, when the true demon of darkness has gripped their soul."

[wheatencrown]

"I will try. Now let us finish this work so that you may enjoy this beautiful day."

[ostro_goth]

"Thank you for your help," Ursula says, never taking a friend or acquaintance for granted. "There has been so much work, and there still is, we are grateful for every helping hand!"

"We are, indeed," another voice joined in, speaking in Latin with a harsh Gothic accent. "It's a miracle, all those friends and relatives of our Ursula turning up to help us when needed! Would you share our midday meal with us, for your help?"

It is Rauthgundis, the lady of the house, coming out with more sheets in a basket, and smiling at little Athalwin collecting flower petals in his chubby little hands.

[wheatencrown]

Demeter switches easily to Latin though hers has a Greek accent with a smile,

"I would be honored to, thank you. There is so much love and care in this home that it calls out."

[ostro_goth]

"We are happy here," Rauthgundis says; while her Latin is harsh, her Greek is nonexistent. "And our collected happiness has gone up a notch, as per today, thanks to Berenike and Demetrios! If only we could pass that on to others."

[wheatencrown]

"Oh you do, the land holds your happiness and knows and so it spreads outwards."

[ostro_goth]

"But some, I fear, it may never reach," Rauthgundis says.

She takes a deep breath.

"Well, let us get this done; it is the last basket! And then, we can all go in for our meal. We have the most wonderful things left over from our visitors, who ate much, but not all. And the trout is especially good this year."

[wheatencrown]

"Yes and more hands will make it be even quicker. No, but life gives hope which is always a good place to start."

[ostro_goth]

"It does!" says the other maid who joins them now as well. "Lunch is ready, and I can help you so we get all done sooner."

It is Berenike, and she is almost skipping.

Working in two pairs, they soon get all the sheets spread out in the sunshine, and can go in for their meal.