`You’ll never know how grateful I was to be transferred back to the company of civilians!’ Zara touched Laria’s wrist, where the riding glove left her hand bare, and Laria `heard’ the message: This bears investigation. The problem `s festering. I’ll do it when he sleeps.
`Grateful, are you?’ Laria said with a light laugh. `I haven’t half worked you yet, Kincaid. You may wish to transfer back to the navy.’ He looked her squarely in the eyes, his jaw set at an obstinate angle. `No, I wouldn’t. Not ever.’ He turned and, with a respectable vault, was astride his pony. `Have we got a large enough bag?’ `Only if you’re feeling the saddle,’ Laria said with a challenging grin.
The hunt’s good for him, Zara said tightly.
`I’ll feel the saddle tomorrow,’ Kincaid said with a rueful grin as he kneed his pony forward to follow the nearly overgrown path, `but let’s get on with the hunt.
The hunt had been so enthusiastically pursued by all participants that Damia decided, as the `Dinis helped them dress down the results, that they probably wouldn’t need to hunt for the rest of the week. She sent Zara out with Petra and their `Dinis to pull vegetables to go with the evening meal and set Rojer and Ewain and their `Dinis to dig tubers. With her friends, Laria began to make a dessert while Flavia watched in fascination as Tip and Huf measured ingredients, set out appropriate pots and pans. Thian took ůKincaid with Nil and Plus back to the stable to feed and secure the stableyard creatures. Kincaid enjoyed the chore, having missed working with tamed creatures while on his naval assignment.
-There turned out to be time enough for a quick swim before dinner and there was more aquatic rough stuff than energetic laps of the large pool.
By dinner, Rojer’s joy had settled to a glow and the new Gil and Kat had acquired enough orientation, between his efforts and those of the other `Dinis, to appear quite comfortable at the large table. If, at first, they were clumsy with unfamiliar utensils, they learned with amazing speed and obviously enjoyed the meal.
Leaving children and guests to clear the table and cleanse the dishes, Damia and Afra settled in the lounge, to have a quiet liqueur, watch the sun set over the sea, and get a few words with their `Dinis.
`TELL US PLEASE, Damia asked Trp and FIk, `HOW MATURE ARE THE NEW KTG AND GRL?’ `OLDER THAN THE FIRST BECAUSE THE IMMATURE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ACCOMPANY RJR USEFULLY `CAN YOU TELL US HOW THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED? WE DO NOT PRY Damia left the thought hanging.
FIk resettled itself right next to Damia, laying one upper hand on her arm, stroking its head against her shoulder.
`DM IS TOO GOOD A FRIEND TO PRY. IT WAS PART OF MEDiTATION THAT THESE BE MORE MATURE.
THIS REQUIRES VERY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO DETAILS NOT USUALLY REFINED SO EARLY. HALF GROWN KTG AND GRL ARE BUT NOT MORE GROWN THAN CAN ABSORB NECESSARY DATA NOW THAT RJR IS OLDER TOO.
`DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH THIS MEANS TO US AS WELL AS RJR?’ Damia said and, although she knew perfectly well there wasn’t an ounce of telempathy in Mrdinis, she exuded gratitude and knew that Afra was, too.
`WE KNOW. ALL MRDINI KNOW. THE REGRET IS THAT TIME HAD TO GO SO SLOWLY FOR RJR.
SUCCESS HAD TO BE ACHIEVED OR DISAPPOINTMENT WOULD MAR RJR FOR ALL TIME.’ `YES,’ Afra said slowly, `TO HAVE RAISED HIS HOPES PREMATURELY WOULD HAVE CAUSED MUCH MORE PAIN. YOU WERE WISE.
YES, WE WERE VERY WISE,’ Trp said with such a smug tone in its voice that both Damia and Afra burst out laughing at its uncharacteristic arrogance.
Then the chores were finished and Damia and Afra were joined by children, guests and `Dinis. It made for rather a full room, but a very happy one.
The next day, to shake out of the kinks caused by riding after a long absence from the sport, Thian, Laria, Zara and the two guests took an easy hack to another part of the foothills. Rojer grinned at their stiffhess for he’d been riding regularly on Deneb and he had other plans for his day. Afterwards, Thian and Laria gave Flavia and Kincaid a tour of Aurigae City, the `Dini village where they caught a fleeting glimpse of Rojer, Kat and Gil making a formal call on the inhabitants.