Chapter 2 - Part IV

With his unmarked index finger he tapped her forehead, his face contorted between expressions of amusement and confusion.

Again, she did not respond, not even when a second poke nearly caused her to bang her head against the stone.

"I'm sorry!", the man exclaimed preemptively as Onion jolted back into consciousness and caught herself in time. She took a moment to stabilize herself before getting up to address the familiar stranger.

"No, it's fine." she sighed. "I was a crass fool the other day," she said finally. "What did you want to know?"

Not entirely expecting renewed interaction with the Nü to be as easily obtained as it was, the priest faltered with his words, "Wow, that was not how I was expecting this to go. Well, I guess I am just nosy. Not many of your people make it to the mainland, and the only time I have ever seen a Nü woman was during my time in the Outer Crest. One can't help but be a little bit curious."

"Why do you care? It..." she interrupted herself, recalling her vow to remain calm, "Never mind. I will tell you whatever you wish to know but I need something from you first."

"Go on."

"Ensure that I am dead before the end of the week. If your Eidren noble folk have no plans of doing their business soon then destroy me yourself. This existence is... taxing. I am losing my web." she sighed with equal parts relief and regret.

"Now that is a dour thing to say."

"Well we are in a dungeon," she chided, "This is where optimism comes to die."

Solemnly he nodded, "I understand you actually. I do. But while I cannot promise you death at my hand, I can promise you that one way or another, I will do my best to see that this nightmare ends soon for you."

"Oh?" she focused her eyes on the shaggy-haired priest who suddenly appeared to have a particular interest in his shoes.

"Anyway," he spoke quickly, seizing the direction of the conversation, "What are you doing in Eirdred? What brought you here to begin with?"

Not really seeing the point of his inquiry, she responded to his questions with short, factual and unelaborated responses. She told of her life in Sandor for the past 3 years, as a mercenary with her 31 brothers in the Clan of the Fir.

"Thirty-one brothers? Am I really to believe that? Hah. Sure. Right, your mother must have been a sore woman."

"Not 31 biological brothers. With five I shared the same seed of life. Among the others, well, we all considered ourselves brothers in arms, and they were my kin, cousins and nephews mostly. Not that it is unheard of. We are not like you on the continent. It is more than acceptable for a man and several women to make a home together. My own immediate family was not so, but there are many families in Deezhul who bind multiple spouses together.

"And the only reason why now, I do not weep for the women and children in Deezhul who have lost their men is that I know there are other husbands and wives there to help the family move on." Onion spat out defensively, surprising even herself. She had never cared for the practice.

"The band was made up of entirely your own kin?", the priest asked incredulously.

"My elder brother, Rejnev, was a very...," she searched for the right word, "charismatic man. My family adored him and was inspired by his successes on the continent. Many of them joined him when he decided it was time to start leading missions, rather than earning scraps. Even I followed..."

"Right, that isn't normal in your culture." the priest affirmed, acknowledging the rarity of seeing a female Nü outside of the realm of domesticity. He, being born and raised on the continent in Lithen, had never felt it a natural thing to use genitalia as method determining of career placement. Life was hard in the colder reaches of the mountains and at sea. If anyone couldn't take care of themselves in any realm, domestic or otherwise, they doomed themselves, and possibly their family. It was an odd concept to imagine women not walking the streets, or picking up the sword.