#voryn

"I am translating something."

"What's dat mean?"

"It means something is written in a way I can say in the common language, so all may understand it."

"Oh."

"Where is your grandmother?" He wondered why she was being allowed to roam around the house unattended.

"Gramma help mama wif washing!"

"Washing?"

"Yea," Sunnar said, "Is Sundas. Mama and Gramma wash."

"Surely they can pay someone to do this," Voryn grumbled just slightly.

That was another thing he had noticed. He'd gotten a peek at the family finances, and they could comfortably afford a maid or at least a cook, and yet they seemed to do everything themselves.

"Why?"

"So they can do other things with the time. Washing takes too long."

And, he thought to himself, it would prevent Sunnar wandering off and frantic attempts to find her later, a thought that reinforced itself when he heard a rapid set of footsteps down the hall.

"Sunnar!" Sadara said, shifting the basket of unwashed clothes to free one of her hands. "You know you aren't supposed to wander off like this!"

"Wanted to see attic man!"

"Attic man is busy."

"I can spare the time," Voryn said, "It's only a few pages, and clearly you need someone to watch her."

Sadara would allow it - he noted a look of longing for a brief moment - and then she headed back down the hall.

"Your mother and grandmother do all of the washing, when they could pay someone to do it?"

"They say they not need pay someone. Waste gold."

A waste of gold? It made little sense to him, when they could well afford at least another set of hands. He resolved to speak to Sadara later about it. But for now--

"Do you remember the letters I taught you?"

"Uh-huh..."

If he was going to rebuild his House, he would ensure his child was well taught.

-----------------------------------

Ouada and Sadara managed dinner together, some sort of beef stew, paired with some red fruits for dessert. A pleasant enough meal, but he noted also they tended to the dishes too...which did not sit well with him.

Why did they operate the household like this?

When Ouada took Sunnar up for a bedtime story he decided to speak up.

"You can well afford a servant or two to take care of things like meals and the washing. Why don't you?"

"We don't need servants," Sadara said, "We can do it ourselves."

"I am well aware of that. You can afford help. Why not take advantage of it?"

"Why pay for something we can do on our own?"

"Because your time is valuable," Voryn retorted, "Would you rather wash for four or five hours, or spend that time with Sunnar? Or mix up more potions for your business? I notice you have a late start on wash days. That is time you could be using to profit."

"It would cut into savings," Sadara said, "And I am not jeopardizing the future to make the present a little easier. Suppose my business dries up?"

"You are competing with someone who sells mainly foodstuffs," Voryn said, "It is unlikely that would ever happen. The number under your savings column in your accounting book is plenty large enough for an emergency."

"Have you ever had to go without a meal?" Sadara asked, "Or scrounged for gold to get a roof over your head?"

"No, but--"

"If I can do anything to prevent ever going back to that, I will."

"A handful of gold coins per week is not going to break your entire household. Washerwomen are not that expensive to hire. Nor are cooks."

"I am not going to risk the collapse of--"

"Your accounts will not collapse if you spend a few drakes on servants!" Voryn burst out. "You have a comfortable income now, why are you acting as though it will vanish if you look away?"

Sadara took a deep breath.

"Why does it matter if I hire them or not? I can do the work myself."

"The point is that you should not have to do it yourself." He shook his head, "Sunnar wanders off when you aren't looking. If you had someone to do this for you, you would be able to watch her more easily. Suppose she gets hurt trying to go up the stairs?"

She hadn't thought of that, he saw.

"Besides," he added, "You have rooms in the basement going unused. You could make having a room part of their pay."

"The washing is only done once a week," Sadara said, "I would rather..."

"A maid can handle multiple things. Let me handle it, then. You've never hired a maid, or a washerwoman. I can well cover the expense myself."

It made little sense to him. Spoil the child with toys but spend nothing on the routines of the home?

"I also don't want to hire an Imperial solely for you to sneer down your nose at her," Sadara said, after a long silence. "And I doubt any Dunmer would want to work in this house, much less live with the Sharmat, however redeemed he may be."

He had to admit that she had him there.

She didn't understand, servants were beneath their employers, it was simply how it was...even if the ancestors had turned their backs, what had happened to her Great House pride? She bore the name!

Another silence. And then, trying to think of something to ask that would not start another argument, he realized he had forgotten something.

"What did you do with the mask?"

Sadara looked up. "I had it melted down. I thought it was all gold, but it turns out that much of it was Dwemer brass."

She left the room briefly, and returned with a bag, from which she drew a key, a spool of thread, a pen, and a chainless round decoration he assumed was meant to be part of a necklace, studded with an amethyst.

"This hardly seems like enough."

"I let the smith keep some of it as his payment." Sadara gestured. "A key to the house, a thread for...I don't know, it seemed like the thing to do. A pen because I needed one, and this...well, I have a chain for it somewhere, but I don't generally need it. I just thought I should have a bit of jewelry that wasn't the moon-and-star. Not that I can wear that anymore."

"Does Azura take that from you too?"

"No. But I have to hear her bitching when I wear it, so I simply don't."

He really couldn't help but laugh on hearing that. There she was, the woman he had seen in Red Mountain those few years ago, before she'd slammed the door shut and refused to show him anything.

Before he'd made it necessary to do so, his mind quickly corrected him.

"You speak boldly for one cursed by a daedric prince."

"I've lived through worse than her," Sadara said. "I've been through times where I didn't know healing spells and couldn't afford potions and it was essentially like now."

Ouada appeared then in the doorway.

"Sadara," she said, with a small smile, "Sunnar wants the story about the rotten man again."

"Again?" Sadara asked. "I wonder why she likes hearing about the Underking so much..."

Up and away she went, and he watched her as long as he could.

"She does still love you, you know," Ouada said.

"That is not--you do not need to comment on it."

"I know I don't." She gave an annoyingly knowing smile. "All you need to do is put forth a little effort."

"I am trying to. She won't let me."

"Perhaps listen to her a little more. I want my girl to be happy, and seeing as how she will not stop mooning over you, it must be you who does it."

Another pause.

"You are much more..." Voryn struggled for a word, "...inclined to let things go, than I thought you would be. I had expected you to be my greatest hurdle to get over."

"If I wanted to do that I would tell her what disease the emperor's healers cured." Ouada sat down in the chair on the other side of the table his papers were on. "She doesn't remember. She was too busy celebrating."

"What does that have to do with--"

"I sought fortune in Morrowind, trying to have my version of adventure. And in the ashlands..." Ouada shook her head. "I don't remember if it was a rat or a nixhound, or one of your swollen monstrosities. All I knew is that I was ill after. I didn't waste the drakes on potions because I thought I had fought it back. I'd had a resist spell. Any number of justifications you can think of for not taking care of myself, I used."

"A blight disease?"

"Black-Heart Blight, specifically." Ouada looked down at his Dwemer writing.

"You are forgiving too easily," Voryn replied. "Had it been me--"

"That is the difference between us. I have had my life back for some time now. Make my daughter happy, and I will never tell her you are the reason I was so ill for so long."

He agreed.

But after a moment to think on it he added something.

"That is the most Hlaalu thing I have ever heard."