Sister Rose nodded her appreciation of this young man's information. "Thank you. That's very helpful. But one thing: what, exactly, is a 'kept woman' in Goriel? That sounds kind of bad, doesn't it?"
"It do," the young man agreed. "But it be not as bad as it be soundin'. It be meanin' any woman who be under the protection-like o' the head o' the clan, for whatever reason, not just the ones you be thinkin' of -- I be thinkin' of, 'scuse me, ma'am." He blushed at the recognition of the thought that he'd just implied to be inside the head of this mighty officer-nun, never mind that that thought was exactly what Rose, and pretty much anyone else listening to the conversation, had been thinking.
Rose smiled again, but this time it wasn't just reassurance, it also had that playful element to it that those traveling with her had come to recognize. "Not to worry. We need to understand things as they are. You've been incredibly helpful, my son. Now just one thing more: could you possibly fetch us a small quantity, maybe a pound at the most, of this ship's ballast?"
The airman blinked at the apparent non sequitur. "Huh?"
The playful part of the smile took over. "Well, it sounds like we're going to be needing some of these bracelets, aren't we? Which means we'll have to make them somehow. And we have a great master of inorganic manipulation in our midst." A nod and wink at Argus, and she reached out and squeezed his hand. "Surely you can use some of the ballast to make bracelets for your women, can't you? I call dibs on the one with the 'wife' stone..."
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"How can I ever thank you?" the young woman asked the red-haired woman breathlessly, as they arrived at the top of the pass; the unborn burden she was carrying had made the ascent more tiring than it might have been.
The red-haired woman took stock silently before replying, just to make sure the girl would be all right. Satisfied, she took the girl's hands, feeling just a momentary thrill, just as she always did when performing a rescue. Her skills at moving in Goriel as though she were a man had made her more valuable to the Sisterhood as a scout than as a rescuer, and she didn't get to do this part of the operation very often. However, the Sisterhood was wise enough to recognize that all of its members had to experience the thrill of not just ferreting out a life to be saved, but actually saving one from time to time ... which was how she had drawn this assignment. (That, and the fact that she preferred working, and being, alone.)
"By living your life in freedom," she answered. "By raising your child to believe that we women are worthy human beings who can make the world a better place, without relying on a man to do it for us, or needing a man's permission to be all that we can be." The girl gaped as though this concept was completely alien to her, as the red-haired woman continued, "Now go. You have a long journey to make, to a house where there will be others who will help you, will take you the rest of the way to a new home. This will take you there." She cleared the brush away from where something had been concealed at the top of the pass.
The girl gaped. It was a cart of some kind, apparently, but what a cart! It only had two wheels, and a platform just big enough for one to stand on, with a rod projecting upward from its front edge, bearing a handlebar. [OOC: Really, I've felt for a long time that the Segway must have been invented by the dwarves, wouldn't you agree?
/OOC:] "But -- I don't know how to drive this."The red-haired woman smiled, a momentary bit of merriment in eyes that didn't show that emotion very often. "You don't need to. It'll drive itself. Just stand on the platform and it'll do the rest." She didn't add that it was a dwarven artifact; this poor girl had already had enough shocks for one day.
The girl's eyes were beginning to fill with possibilities. A brief, experimental test ride later, she was ready to go. However, one thing needed doing first. "T-thank you," she repeated. "I am forever in your debt. But may I know the name of the woman who saved my life this way?"
The woman briefly considered her answer. It was decidedly irregular for the Sisterhood to use their real names when on a rescue mission, what with security and all. These weren't the usual circumstances, though. She decided she could risk a correct answer.
"Thérèse. Thérèse de Refuge-Nouveau. Now go, and may the blessings of the Five Great Mothers go with you."
