11th Ashan, 721.
"Right, Shon," Vega said, to her cousin. "I want you to help me as much as you can. There's ten of them. Ten. Can you imagine?" Shon smiled at Vega and nodded. "Yes, there are. They heard about the arrows. It's a good thing, Eva." Vega nodded. "Yeah, I know. But it's jus' a bit full on." Shon nodded. It was rare that she was so nervous, but he was also very aware that Vega was better, psychologically, each day. This place and the people here were part of the reason for that, he knew. The sense of community, of belonging somewhere, that was important to Vega - or Eva as he knew her. She'd felt it in Storm's Edge, but Shon and all her family knew just how much of a toll being in Rharne had taken on her. The ceaseless war had ground her down and Vega needed to relax, to rest - to heal.
But she was who she was, and she needed to do that while moving. While growing. While doing things.
And so, Hopetoun had been - as it turned out - exactly what Vega needed.
So, the feisty redhead wanted to give back to the place in every way that she could. Therefore, she'd taught fletching and it had seemed to work well. After that success, she'd agreed that she'd do more - and now they were making something else. She didn't doubt that it would be useful, and she hoped that they'd like it, and that it was useful. More than that, though, Vega hoped that it built it on the sense of community. This place had good people, and she wanted to help them grow as a settlement.
Up to this point, Vega had not worked out that the flag which had been sent to her as a gift had any kind of special properties. So, she'd been heartily impressed with the way that the people here could learn, the speed at which they picked stuff up. To-trial, she was going to teach them how to make a box, a cabinet with drawers. She'd put together the crates with supplies for each one, Shon had helped her.
Shon didn't know that Vega was pregnant - and she considered that this was probably a very good thing. He'd have fussed in the worst way if he knew and Vega considered it a blessing from Xiur that none of her family were, as yet, aware of this child. She had the box with her, as a template for them. Walking into the clearing in Hopetoun's main area where - it turned out - there were twelve people. "I thought it were ten?" Vega whispered to Shon and he shrugged. "I thought so, too. Do you want me to send two away?" Vega looked at Shon as he said that, but she shook her head. "No, it's fine."
It was fine, right?
She was impossibly surrounded by friends, impossibly married to an impossibly wonderful man and - impossibly - she was pregnant. And if all of those things were were true?
Then, she could teach twelve people.
Right?
But she was who she was, and she needed to do that while moving. While growing. While doing things.
And so, Hopetoun had been - as it turned out - exactly what Vega needed.
So, the feisty redhead wanted to give back to the place in every way that she could. Therefore, she'd taught fletching and it had seemed to work well. After that success, she'd agreed that she'd do more - and now they were making something else. She didn't doubt that it would be useful, and she hoped that they'd like it, and that it was useful. More than that, though, Vega hoped that it built it on the sense of community. This place had good people, and she wanted to help them grow as a settlement.
Up to this point, Vega had not worked out that the flag which had been sent to her as a gift had any kind of special properties. So, she'd been heartily impressed with the way that the people here could learn, the speed at which they picked stuff up. To-trial, she was going to teach them how to make a box, a cabinet with drawers. She'd put together the crates with supplies for each one, Shon had helped her.
Shon didn't know that Vega was pregnant - and she considered that this was probably a very good thing. He'd have fussed in the worst way if he knew and Vega considered it a blessing from Xiur that none of her family were, as yet, aware of this child. She had the box with her, as a template for them. Walking into the clearing in Hopetoun's main area where - it turned out - there were twelve people. "I thought it were ten?" Vega whispered to Shon and he shrugged. "I thought so, too. Do you want me to send two away?" Vega looked at Shon as he said that, but she shook her head. "No, it's fine."
It was fine, right?
She was impossibly surrounded by friends, impossibly married to an impossibly wonderful man and - impossibly - she was pregnant. And if all of those things were were true?
Then, she could teach twelve people.
Right?