Book 2, Chapters 7-11: Kagnyaa

This takes place after Book 2

“You have to leave your room for something other than classes at some point.”  Kagnyaa’s teammates were standing outside her door, Govezze calling in through the slightly-opened door.  They were taking their lives in their hands, risking irritating martial house.

But they weren’t moving.

“I don’t see any reason to do that.”  

Kagnyaa was not having a good time of it.  Staying in her room seemed like the most reasonable way to handle things.

“Oh, by the Three and their books and all the things they turn their heads at,” complained her surviving roommate,  Kelmoolkie. “Let them in so I can study, would you? You’ve been ridiculous ever since Her Highness-”

“Don’t call her that!”

“I will call her whatever I want, and you can fight me over it or learn to accept it,” Kelkie countered.  “Come on in, you two. She’s being ridiculous.”

“You said that already” Kagnyaa complained.

“So, ah.”  Taabletaab cleared his throat.  “I, ah. I tailored a couple uniforms for you and did some Martial embroidery on the linens…”  He was carrying an armload of navy, orange-red, and red. “I noticed you, uh, you’d gone back to the base uniform.”

“I hate it all.”  She slouched further on her bed.  “I hate all of it. The fancy clothes, the fancy hair.  I despise it.”

“So.”  Govezze sat down on the edge of Kagnyaa’s bed.  She was carrying some ribbons in various shades of red and a comb.  “I did some reading on ancient warriors and their braiding patterns.  I know you don’t want to do the whole thing with the royal patterns anymore, but you’re of House [].  You’re a warrior. So I thought that something like this….” She reached out. Taabletaab handed her a book and she flipped it open to a diagram.  “Something like this?” This time, it was a question.

Kagnyaa wanted to just turn away.  They were trying to get her out of the room, and it was useless.  “I was an idiot,” she complained.  “I was worshiping someone who was useless.  Worse than useless! She was a liar and a cheat and she was – I was an idiot,” she repeated.  

“A little,” Govezze agreed.  “But you’re our idiot. So. This is a warrior from the very early times.  Her name was Govezgovvie – I think I was named after her” she admitted shyly.  “But I’m not the warrior. That’s you. So what do you think?”

Kagnyaa made herself look at the pattern, really look at it.  It looked start and simple, until you noticed the number of strands in the three braids.  “Do you think you could…?”

“Of course I can.  And for you, of course I would.  But first, into that uniform. Taabletaab did a lot of work.  And it’ll look more you than the frou-frou and a lot more you than wandering around in an ill-fitting sack.  All right?”

Her friends had gone to a lot of effort.  They had done research for her.

“All right.”  She hesitated.  “I mean. Thank you.”

So Solace went and gave me two Books of all the characters, and thus is getting all the Edally ficlets ever. 

This one takes place sometime around the time Riensin is talking to Instructor Dainanan about aether in textile codes.