Tagged by @inquartata30
From Asunder 25
Liara didn’t turn when she heard the door open behind her. Instead she waited quietly, holding herself still while she listened to the soft footsteps as they closed the distance to where she stood. Every footfall shortened the list of potential visitors.
Alaya had been her first assumption when the door opened. It was she who would be most disturbed by any impression of impropriety. Decorum must of course be maintained at all costs. Liara suppressed a smile at the thought of how upset Alaya must be by now.
Sairni had been her second guess, discarded at her visitor’s third step. The huntress would have commented almost immediately that the young heir’s stance was neither properly formal nor appropriately defensive. That, before going on to reprimand her for allowing a potential enemy to approach from behind. In any case, Liara couldn’t think of a reason that Sairni might have to seek her out. Even surprise tests were unlikely to occur during formal events.
The idea of a reprimand from Sairni’s carried little weight to her in this case. As young as she was, Liara knew that if an enemy made this far, this deep into the residence, there was little hope. The estate was as protected as Benezia’s wealth and her former bondmate’s suspicious imagination could possibly make it.
And all that protection was layered around her, Benezia’s most valued possession.
That didn’t mean that Sairni had not ingrained situational awareness into her young charge. The huntress took every time that Liara’s attention lapsed as a personal insult.
Liara’s perception hadn’t failed her in this case, however. Few members of the House staff would intrude upon her privacy without consent. Some would, of course. Alaya treated her more like a pet than a person. That was when she would trouble herself to interact with her at all. Isyrzea, Sairni, and Svartia would each prioritize her training over her desires, although typically not in the residence. Huntresses placed little value on privacy anyway.
The majority of the remainder would simply ignore Liara when she was being “stubborn”, and leave the task of disciplining her to Benezia, or in Benezia’s absence, to…
“Shiala”. Liara said the name just before the matron’s hand came to rest on her shoulder.
“Liara,” came the response. Not ‘Little Wing,’ certainly not ‘Peeress,’ an honorific that Shiala rarely used outside of formal occasions.
“Matriarch Jeronthi awaits the pleasure of your company.” Shiala’s sarcasm was a welcome respite from the rigid etiquette observed by the majority who interacted with her.
Liara took care to keep any aggravation out of her tone. She knew Shiala didn’t deserve it. She was only the messenger.
“She is here to swear her fealty to the House, as you well know. Alaya has accepted her oath, but with your mother absent it would be a breach of protocol for you to not offer the hospitality of the estate. You know this,” she added when Liara didn’t respond.
“It is a beautiful day, is it not?” Liara forced a subject change instead of telling Shiala what she thought about protocol and the expectations upon her to fulfill it.
Shiala stepped closer to the window, looking out across the southern landscape of the estate. “It is,” she conceded
“The flowers won’t be in bloom for much longer,” Liara indicated the yellow blossoms lining the paths that crisscrossed their view. “It is unfortunate that Mother isn’t here to see them.”
“Benezia has responsibilities,” reminded Shiala.
“Which she leaves for me to execute.”
“Which she trusts you enough to conduct,” the matron chided.
Now Liara turned, facing Shiala directly. “Mother knows that I am not interested in her political machinations. Forcing them on me isn’t going to change that.” She knew it was a pointless argument. Her mother was going to do what she was going to do. There was no way for Liara to negotiate the path that Benezia wished her to follow. Her only options were to accept that path, or leave it entirely.
A daunting prospect for a maiden not yet forty.
For her part, Shiala turned back to the window, looking out across the estate in a way that made Liara suspect that she was also considering Liara’s options.
“Your mother only wants what’s best for you.”
“She only wants what’s best for the House,” countered Liara.
“They are the same thing.”
Shiala ignored the outburst. “Do you doubt that you will someday lead House T’Soni?”
Liara hesitated, uncertain where the question might lead. “I know that is my mother’s expectation, yes.”
“Politics and philosophy are my mother’s passions, Shiala. Not mine. They never were.”
“So you will refuse ascension and allow House T’Soni to dissolve?” Shiala’s voice took a tone of mild curiosity.
“No, Peeress?” Liara caught the chiding behind the word. “You see sisters in your future?” She paused. “Or daughters?”
“Your House is not meant to be a burden, Peeress,” consoled Shiala gently. “I am sorry you find it so. However, you do have a responsibility to it.”
“I never asked for this, Shiala. There is more to life than appeasing matriarchs or refining doctrine.”
“Benezia hopes to shape the future, Peeress. A future she hopes that you will be part of. You seek wisdom from the past. Both choices are valid, and meeting the obligations of your House preclude neither.”
“Your mother asks for nothing from you that she does not ask of herself.”
“I know, Shiala. That’s the problem. There is so much to learn, so much waiting to be discovered,” Liara sighed. “But instead I spend my days training with huntresses, and my evenings in a receiving line.”
“And your nights reading textbooks instead of sleeping.”
“That training is not without purpose, Liara,” interrupted Shiala. “It is a poor archaeologist who lacks the strength to lift a shovel.” She paused. “Besides, Deproelior could save your life someday. The Protheans weren’t kind enough to restrict their artifacts to the relative safety of Council space.”
“Not that I’ll ever see one of the excavations in person if Mother has anything to say about it.”
“It’s not that bad. Treasure this time, Peeress. The training, the resources, the time with your mother. Humor her. Once she’s satisfied with your training, and you’ve completed your education, there will be time for your hobbies.”
“Archaeology isn’t a hobby, Shiala. It is my calling. It’s what I want to do with my life.”
“And you have nearly a thousand years to pursue it, Peeress. Who knows? In a century or three you might have a child of your own. You can make House T’Soni her problem.”
Liara glanced up at the matron, and saw the teasing grin. “Good idea. That way she can hate me too.”
“You don’t hate Benezia, Peeress.”
“No,” she admitted after a moment. “Of course I don’t. I love her. I just wish she’d let me live my life.”
“I suppose not,” conceded Liara. “I hope Matriarch Jeronthi feels the same way.”
“You have kept her waiting.”
Liara’s eyes returned to the window, taking in the estate below.
“It was such a beautiful day,” she sighed before turning for the door.
