"My, aren't you pretty! And so elegant... Tahni, isn't she pretty?"

Tahni didn't believe she was expected to give a reply and instead focused on her plate, hoping her mother's attention would stay on the other girl. A quick, but efficient jab to her ribs dispelled her of that notion and she gritted her teeth while waiting for the storm to pass.

"Oh, do sit up straight and tuck your elbows in!" complained her mother. "Look at Ederra here, you may take her example. Ah, so pretty!"

Tahni cast a sullen glare at the stuck-up little prig sitting daintily across the laden table, holding a thimble-sized cup so gently, one might think both cup and girl were made of the thinnest, finest porcelain. But Tahni knew better; at least about the cup. She knew that the set her mother so proudly displayed at her finest gatherings was nothing more than a cheap replica purchased at the all-purpose bazaar, because the real set lay hidden in a wool-stuffed box shoved deeply in the linen drawer of Tahni's wardrobe. She always kept her room in a state of studied disarray to discourage any foray into her belongings, which now included the family heirloom porcelain set, half a dozen prayer bowls, two antique vases, grandfather's calligraphy brush collection and father's spare celebration sash - which he'd never need since he'd refused to wear his civilian outfit even at the new king's coronation. She hadn't bothered to plant replacements for the sash and brushes, but the rest had all been supplanted by their knock-off counterparts. Day by day, item by item, she was looting her own household and she could only wish she had a monopoly over the enterprise. Unfortunately, her brother Steppo shared the hobby, even though he lacked finesse and Tahni had been forced to think creatively to cover his heavy-handed thievery on more than one occasion.

Presently, she focused on Ederra under the guise of polite examination. She even attempted to imitate her haughty gestures, not a muscle moving without purpose, flowing from stance to stance like an anemic swan, as if eating a late supper at their table was the final trial to secure her nomination for queen consort. That ship had sailed for Ederra, but Tahni couldn't help but wonder why her brother's new betrothed hadn't given it a shot. Although she usually disagreed with her mother on principle, Tahni had to admit that Ederra was indeed pretty; not drop-dead gorgeous by any means, but the picture she presented sufficed. She certainly seemed to have the poise, dignity, and attire - things which to Tahni meant she moved like she had a stick shoved up her unmentionables just like any other courtier she had met. Did her mother expect them to strike up a friendship? They were to live three doors from each other until the wedding, and then they'd still be in the same house. Tahni thought she might come to tolerate her, if she kept to herself like Meyo did, but for now what she wished for most ardently was that this new member of their household was not overly familiar with methods of distinguishing counterfeit porcelain, or any other material.

"I thank you for this repast, Lady Belis. My uncle and I have yet to sample true southern cuisine, and we were starved for quality at the inns on the road."

Merciful Channa, she sounded as if she'd fasted all the way down to the capital. Tahni's mother mouthed a silent "oh", clasped heavily beringed hands to crimson cheeks and looked as if she might fly out of her skin, while Tahni barely suppressed an eye roll.

"But of course, that is to be expected. And oh, you've come such a long way! Nazar, bring more roasted beans and fowl slices for our weary travelers. Serre Ganis, may I offer you another cup of gaizi?"

Ederra's uncle, a portly man who carried his middle years with dignified resignation, nodded his thanks while still occupied with his second bowl of said beans. If he'd opened his mouth to verbalize his feelings, Tahni was sure she wouldn't be able to keep what she had managed to eat so far from rising back up with a vengeance. The food must be truly terrible up north, or else this man would not be engorging himself to such a degree. Then again, his niece had barely eaten anything. She'd made a show of moving food from the serving bowls to her plate, one strand at a time, but once it came down to actual eating, she'd barely had half a plate. 

Tahni couldn't really blame her. She hated traditional cuisine and naturally, her mother saw fit to serve it all day, every day. The ingredients themselves were nothing unusual, but what rendered the food in the capital so unenjoyable to Tahni's palate was the region's propensity for foul-smelling sauces, all derived from the endemic attahna plant, which she, like many other unfortunate girls, had been named after.

At length, Ganis swallowed and Tahni observed the impression of the man's tongue through his cheeks while he attempted to clean his teeth.

"Excellent!" he said at last. "Absolutely excellent! We could not thank you enough, truly exemplary hosting."

"Oh, do have some more! Nazar, over here."

The chief housekeeper directed two serving boys to deposit the steaming bowls on the already overcrowded table. A third one hovered uncertainly behind the others, holding a small platter. At Nazar's wilting stare, he clutched it even tighter and muttered something at the floor.

"What's that?," asked Belis.

"The leftover tutuma rolls, Lady," informed the housekeeper in her cool nasal voice. "But it appears we've run out of place."

If Nazar's stares could burn, the poor boy would have already caught fire. Fortunately, salvation was at hand.

"Over here is fine! That is, if no one else would have them..."

When the women demurred, Ganis watched the rolls being deposited onto his plate with supreme satisfaction, and Tahni became thoroughly convinced the man lacked taste buds, common sense, or possibly both.

"A fine thing, this table!," effused Ganis before diving into his third serving. "It's a shame that your husband and the boys couldn't join us."

"Ah, yes," sighed Belis. "My husband is yet occupied at court, but for the others there are no excuses to be made. Yet, you must find it in your heart to forgive them, Serre Ganis. I have tried, oh, Channa knows I have tried, but they both thwart me at every turn, in their own way."

Belis reached across the table to clasp Ederra's pale fingers, casting her a small smile.

"But I'm sure you'll be able to bring our Meyo to heel," she continued hopefully. "He's a good boy, and one only needs patience to understand him. He's never given us trouble."

The unspoken words gave Tahni pause, and for a moment, she considered the possibility of this frail creature being engaged to Steppo instead. She nearly chortled and had to cover it up with a cough. Fortunately, her mother was too busy fawning over her prospective daughter-in-law to notice her natural daughter's antics.

Ah, her brothers. One a hellion, the other a bore. There was nothing much to say about Meyo, he was so dreary and uninteresting. His whole existence amounted to his desk and the occasional trip to the family library, which occupied the room right next to his. It was reasonable to believe he must eat and sleep as well, but she couldn't bring herself to conjure that image. Steppo, on the other hand... Sometimes, Tahni allowed herself to forget that he was the eldest, that one day, he would inherit their father's title, and then the family would be truly screwed. That was none of Tahni's concerns, however, since she had planned to be long gone by then. She'd be able to put up with this lot for a little while longer. No serious harm could come to them in a few months. During that time, she'd sell the last batch of reappropriated items and prepare for her journey ahead.

Smiling at her inner resolve, she reached for the desert platter. There was a bountiful offer tonight, all made in the Terevansian style Tahni favored, since attahna sauce didn't lend itself particularly well to sweet flavors, although she was certain it had been tried. Licking her lips in anticipation, she reached for the fork, feeling the handle's cold graininess.

She froze at once.

The touch gave it away, of course, but she needed to convince herself. She clutched the handle and felt it begin to give way. Were she to force even more pressure, it was bound to bend. Finally, she had to admit defeat and stifle a bitter sigh.

This wasn't ivory. That blasted Steppo must have beaten her to the punch and now instead of smiling she felt like grinding her teeth until sparks flew. She'd planned to take the cutlery set tonight and had even inquired after having copies made, better than the ones her brother had acquired. She didn't dare do a visual examination in front of her mother, but she could tell the quality from touch alone and it was not convincing. Could the others make it out, too?

"Ederra, dear, I insist. Have one of these rolls."

"Oh, yes, you must sample it! It is quintessentially Kassi, at least the way we have them in the capital. And that is the only way to have them at all!"

Chomping down on a forkful of cloyingly sweet fruit pie, Tahni fought against the rising bile. The loss of the cutlery didn't grate nearly so much as the fact that he'd beaten her to it. Knowing this, she tried to reason herself into calmness. She'd find something else to take, that was no problem.

But not before she'd seen to her revenge.