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[mansuetus]

[ Lucrezia is in one of the lounges! Sprawled on one of the sofas, fingers busy turning a pendent of gold in the shape of a sea-horse. There are no poems today, no joyful greetings, something is different. She looks more pensive than anything else but there is a shade of concern there as well as quiet annoyance.

When she speaks, her voice is devoid of any of it. Her eyes still focused on the sea-horse. ]

A riddle, Tranquility.

How to mourn for someone who does not deserve it?

If your duty demands it and you have no desire to - do all men need to be mourned for? Is it a a more grievous sin not to mourn than it is to speak false words of grievance?

[ a beat. ]

Perhaps I must fast again.

[ a moment later she puts down her necklace, smiles. ]

I would have a cup of wine with your answer, if any of you have some to spare. You will join me in the lounge.

[ and it is not a question. ]

Comments

[legiondary]

Their soul? I'm not sure. We dwarves believe that we return to the Stone when we die. We strengthen it when we do, unless we're ignoble or disgraced. Then She would reject us-and make that decision with out any prayers.

Your beliefs are different from mine, but are you really worried for the spirit of a person who didn't mean any thing to you?

[ it might seem callous, but she wouldn't be. ]

[mansuetus]

No.

[ it's a quiet confession. ]

No I am not worried. Yet - perhaps I should be. There is duty and then there is the heart/

[legiondary]

Why should you have a duty to worry about the spirit of some body who means nothing to you?

That's their family's job.

[mansuetus]

It is, I suppose. And a fine job they will do in that. They will mourn him and avenge him. Yet I was also a family of a sort to him. I was given to him to marry.

[legiondary]

That doesn't mean that you have to feel bad that he's gone. If you don't, you don't.

[ this reminds her of some thing. ]

Nobody, not his family or your gods should be able to make you. Life is too short to waste it like that.

[mansuetus]

[ the last sentence brings a small smile to her face. ]

What a clever notion. Life is short and wasting them on untrue sorrow - it is indeed that, a waste.

[legiondary]

[ now, sigrun smiles back. ]

Exactly! There are better things to think about.

[mansuetus]

Then perhaps I shall think of them. A wise woman does not waste that which she has so little of.

[legiondary]

I couldn't have said that any better than you just have.

It's a nice change of pace to meet a human who makes sense.

[mansuetus]

[ she inclines her head. ]

Ad a pleasure to meet a being who inspires such.

[legiondary]

I'm just a simple dwarf, m'lady. And it's always a pleasure to help!

[ she grins. ]

I'm Sigrun.

[mansuetus]

Lucrezia. Are you truly a dwarf?

[legiondary]

Glad to meet you!

Since the day I was born. Are there no dwarves where you're from?

[mansuetus]

None, signora. Only in tales! There are little men to be certain, but those are very few and I do not think they are dwarves.

[legiondary]

Unless they live underground, they definitely aren't dwarves. Which isn't so different from how it works back home, come to think of it.

The general consensus of my people is that the only real dwarves are those who are live underground.

[ and those who weren't born in dust town. ]

What sorts of stories do the humans of your world tell about us? I'm curious!

[mansuetus]

Do you live underground then? It must be so odd to be living here then, when no such option is offered. In my world there was little talk of dwarves as they do not live underground, mostly they were born deformed.

[legiondary]

I used to. It's only been a few months since I went topside. Things are still pretty new to me.

[ born deformed? ]

Deformed how?

[mansuetus]

Since they are no dwarves, when a babe is born little and remains little, there are those who call it a deformed babe.

[legiondary]

[ it sounds more like those people have deformed minds. ]

And they're treated differently from every one else?

[mansuetus]

They do. Yet many do beside them. Cardinals have a habit of damning everyone but themselves.

[ in that Cesare would be different, she thinks. ]

[legiondary]

Cardinals?

[ if they do that, she already doesn't like them. ]

[mansuetus]

Man of religion. The most well learned and prestigious men of our Holy Mother Church.

[legiondary]

So, sort of like the mothers in the human Chantry, then. Some one called the Divine leads their church.

There's not much divine about ordinary people, if you ask me. They ought to have better things to do than picking on others.

[mansuetus]

Some things are divine, I think. But not things cardinals would approve of me speaking of.

[ grinning, grinning. ]

[legiondary]

[ she likes this woman already. sigrun shoots her a smirk. ]

We can agree there! They probably have sticks too far up their asses to have any concept of fun.