He thought he had imagined the kiss the next day. From the way Finne acted, it certainly felt that way. Was it just because he was Imrukian? Maybe they were just that way, but Aleci had no way of knowing otherwise. It wasn't as if his father, or scholars in general, kept extensive records of Imrukian culture. They lived in the mountains and valuable trade routes run through Imruk. That was the extent of his education about Finne's country, not that he was keen on learning geography in the first place. So he had no basis for what was normal courtesy for Finne. If they shared a common tongue perhaps this wouldn't be a problem, but as things were, all they had was the tablet and drawings.

He'd dug out his old academy one from his childhood bedroom. It was an odd feeling, looking through his tattered notebooks and toys. He knew what the feeling was and had slammed the trunk down and locked it, along with the memories. Instead he focused on what words he ought to try drawing, and no doubt Finne would laugh again. But he didn't mind, he wasn't an artist, the only artistic thing he liked drawing were lines and if he was being particularly adventurous, circles.

It came as a relief when a messenger arrived with a letter from Praefect Cimul's wife, saying that she would pay him a visit, bringing her mother with her. Maera, she'd written, and signed her name as Brissa. Just Brissa, no patronym. How odd, Aleci thought, looking over the letter again to see if he'd missed something. Then he shrugged and concluded that it must be an Imrukian thing, that women signed their letters with just their names. He wanted to show the letter to Finne, but he had no idea how he was to explain its contents. What he ought to draw a carriage and two figures? Women would be too ambitious for him to attempt to draw. Or it could be a nice surprise he thought. Then he cursed, because it sounded like words from his father's mouth.

When the day came and their carriage rolled up the to the villa, he was beyond ready to have the meeting. Drawing the pictures with Finne was an arduously painful task, even if it did make Finne crack a smile here and there. He never thought he would miss a conversation with someone, but everyone in the villa had their own lives and tasks and didn't live to entertain him. He couldn't very well ride back to the Capital. He could, actually, the thought did occur to him that there was better wine in Alyssa than in his villa. But he never got around to saddling his horse.

"Finne, come," he said motioning towards the villa's entrance.

Finne had abandoned the more formal shawls when he was in the house, Aleci noticed. But he wrapped it around himself whenever they went out. He must hate the sun, Aleci thought wryly. Domina Brissa was being helped out of her carriage by one of Praefect Cimul's guards. The man reached to help Maera as well but he was summarily dismissed with a wave of a wrinkled hand. Up close Aleci supposed he could see the resemblance. They had the same curly hair as Finne, though Maera's was greying and what little he could see of Brissa's was a shocking red. She was dressed like a proper Domina, Brissa, with her shawl wrapped around her and a sun umbrella over her head.

She made her way to Aleci and gave him such a deep obeisance that it made him shift his feet nervously, "Dominus Aleci, I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. This is my mother, D—."

"Maera will do," said Maera, and she smiled and did a half obeisance. "Please excuse me I am not as youthful as I once was, Dominus Aleci."

Finne made some sort of noise next to Aleci, and coughed. This caught the older woman's eye and she gave Finne a glance.

«Sionadh,» she said, wide-eyed.

«I am not a Sionadh,» Finne said, shaking his head. He made a step backward and for the first time Aleci saw movement across that stone face. A quiver of Finne's lip, and then the mask was solidly back on again as Finne said, in even tones, „I am just Finne now."

„Just Finne then," Maera said, agreeably. „As I am no 'Domina', all these fancy titles."

„Mamaí!" Brissa exclaimed, „Please!"

„Brissa I've seen you married and well, leave your old mother to her fancies now, will you?"

Now it was Brissa's turn to smile, and Aleci recognized it as the same one he found himself giving Galer. But she was all Domina politeness when she addressed Aleci, "Perhaps my mother would like to make your wife's acquaintance? I can give my horses and men a short break before we return."

From the corner of his eye he saw Maera gave Brissa a wink. Or he could be seeing things, women did have their fanning motions and hand waves and who knows what else. As they made their way to the courtyard it suddenly occurred to him that he had never entertained a woman before. Especially not the wife of a Praefect. What did they even talk about?

He had asked one of the women to lay out a covered platter for him and his guests and they did so, but they did not provide the wine he'd normally drink in these particular times. No, it was one of those wines watered down with roses and juice. Aleci gave a pained grimace and wiped his mouth, hoping it hid the motion. Brissa politely did not say anything.

"How long have you been living in Alyssa?" said Aleci, for politeness rather than interest. She spoke his tongue quite well.

"Ever since I was young. Perhaps eleven or ten," said Brissa taking a biscuit and carefully eating it.

"Your family left Imruk?" said Aleci, wishing that it wasn't like pulling teeth to talk to women.

"My mother left Imruk," said Brissa, and she poured herself a cup of wine, "She wasn't interested in how things were going, and so she packed our things and went with the nearest merchant wagon to Alyssa."

"I see," Aleci said, and he struggled to find more things to say. Then glancing over at Finne and Maera he decided to ask anyway, as what was the harm in asking? "What is a...si-o-nash?"

This made her pause, and put down her cup, «Sionadh» she clarified.

"It's not his name," Aleci said, and was puzzled, because she didn't answer his question, "What does it mean?"

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"It is a... title. Like Domina," Brissa offered. "My apologies, but I haven't been home in a very long time. I don't speak the formal tongue of the place. My mother frowns upon it."

"There are two tongues," Aleci remarked, because of course there was, one only had to stroll along the markets of Alyssa to hear half a dozen.

"May I inquire about your marriage?" said Brissa, friendly and smiling, "It is not everyday one gets married."

"It was fine."

"Hm. I am sure it would be better once Finne gets to know you. I'm sure it takes some getting use to. My mother never spoke kindly of how the mytusi were treated there."

"Sorry?" said Aleci, frowning and sitting forward.

"Your father did not tell you?" she frowned. "Ah, well. I suppose," she glanced towards her mother and Finne in discussion then said, her voice much more quieter. "The mytusi in Imruk are mostly from the «sionadh» lineage. And the «sionadh» lineages prefer sons to hand over lands and titles, which mytusi are more inclined to have. Have Finne's been married before? He looks old enough to have been. You know, my mother took particular offense to the «sionadh» marriage rites."

Aleci scowled, glancing at Finne and Maera seated in the far corner of the courtyard, "He is a busy man my father, I don't believe he has."

"I suppose my advice is unwarranted but I do suggest patience," said Brissa kindly, and he didn't like her pitying look. "I was told it was no pleasant ritual."

It suddenly made sense, in a horrible sort of way, Finne's behavior. But how does one even go about asking him if that was true? He swallowed harshly, and bit back a laugh. The longer he spent married the sourer wine tasted in his mouth. He wasn't certain what he wanted to ask Brissa now.

"Perhaps I should get going," Brissa suddenly announced, getting up from her seat. „Mamaí I must leave you to work your craft, I'll ask the men to leave your things just outside the door? Or should I ask them to bring it in?"

"I'm no invalid, I am perfectly capable of moving my own bags," said Maera and Brissa gave her an exasperated look.

He watched the two made their farewells, a hug, and a kiss from Brissa to her mother. Finne was halfway to making an obeisance to Brissa but she stopped him with another one of her smiles.

„Please, you needn't do such a thing. I wish you the best in your future marriage."

Then she was on her carriage and driving off, and Aleci wasted no time to get answers. "I would like to ask him," Aleci said, walking over to where Finne stood with Maera, "was Finne married before?"

"Depends on your definition of marriage, Dominus Aleci," said Maera, evenly. There was something in those grey eyes of hers that was off-putting. It was like she knew what exactly he wanted to ask and refused to entertain his curiosity.

But it wasn't that kind of morbid curiosity, the kind that stopped to look at overturned wagons and bloodied limbs. "She said mytusi ran in families," Aleci said in a rush, "and there was a... an unpleasant ritual."

He knew enough of coded words to know what it meant.

The woman frowned, "It is the way it is." she said, "Similar to how commoners cannot wear purple in your lands. Does anyone question that?" She looked as if he'd asked her why the sky was blue.

"Can you ask Finne if he'd..." he paused, "been forced to do this… ritual?"

Maera huffed a breath, "Forced is the wrong word." she muttered, but turned to Finne anyway. A rapid conversation ensued, and from the sounds it occurred to him that Brissa was right, this sounded nothing like what Galer was speaking with Finne. This tongue was more fast and animated, with more gestures from Maera than when Finne was talking with Galer. But it was only Maera that made the gestures, Finne's hands remained clenched in his lap.

„Your new husband seems to be the considerate sort," said Maera, gesturing at Aleci.

„Is he?" said Finne, and his face was impassive, „Is that why he's so uncomfortable every night? I was told the husbands here liked their wives to be compliant."

„Some of them like their married wives to be compliant and their spares to be passionate," said Maera with a smile.

„What are you implying, that he has a spare?" Finne hissed out the last word but Maera looked unfazed.

„Why don't you ask him yourself? You have made your life much harder by playing dumb," Maera looked slightly exasperated.

„I never liked," there was a pause, and Finne bit his lip, „drawing to myself."

„If you don't mind my advice... I don't think your ruse is in anyway useful, but if that is the way you want things to be, I won't question you." said Maera, finally turning back to Aleci. "He has been married," Maera said and waited, as if he wanted to see how he would react.

That did not explain their prolonged conversation, but Aleci waved it away, jumping to his next question, "Ask him how old he is."

„If my memory has not failed me, you are twenty two summers? "

„Twenty four," said Finne.

There was a pause, „I left Imruk many years ago, but I did hear whispers of the Sionadh having a grandson. He is yours? "

„You are quite correct, Maera."

„Was he smuggled out of Imruk? "

Every pause was longer than the last, Aleci thought, tapping his foot and shifting from side to side. What was taking Maera so long to get one number? Did one had to count each number to get to one's age in Imrukian?

„Yes."

„Ah. Hm. In that case… Let us talk about this later. "

He suspected the conversation diverged to a different topic altogether.

„He is twenty four," said Maera.

It meant Finne was the same age as he was, and told him nothing of what Maera had been talking with Finne about.

"Would you like a drink?" Aleci said, gesturing that they should sit down. The words were more for him than for her, he felt a headache coming along.

Why, out all the possible marriage candidates his father decided upon Finne? He let the wine fill his cup and watched, as if from very far away as his mind became pleasantly foggy.

„Your husband's father has him on some sort of house arrest," said Maera and she sounded amused.

„As long as it takes."

„You've only had the one son?"

„Yes."

Even with his mind pleasantly foggy he could recognize the words for what they were, one of those unfortunate back-and-forth one had when one's superior had diagnose a fault. Whether it was a math problem or swordplay or numbers or one's personal failings, Aleci knew it all too well. He could sympathize, he could, if he only knew what it was Maera said to Finne. He stared at the wine glass, then at the bottle and decided at the present moment he didn't care to.

„You didn't take any casg-gin?"

„No," Finne kept casting glances in Aleci's direction.

„Who in Imruk's name was the healer that supervised you? "

„A fool who got it because he paid enough coin."

„If you are suppose to go on a ride anyway why not enjoy it?"

„You can do that?"

Finne sounded incredulous, Aleci thought, and took another drink. Perhaps he should learn the tongue, just to see Finne's mask slip. He never liked the stone statues in the Caesar's gardens.

„Should I tell your husband you'd like to? "

„I think he tried. It does nothing."

„Well, you weren't being very communicative."

„I— you ask too many questions!"

„How else does one get a diagnosis?"

They glared at each other, which Aleci found to be very amusing because it was the most emotion he'd ever seen on Finne's face. He was beginning Maera more and more. Though, he thought, he ought to interrupt their conversation with what he had really wanted to say all the while.

"Can you tell him that he doesn't have to just lie there? I know... I know it is difficult—" putting it mildly, but the wine made it easier to say what was on his mind, "—he has his own quarters he doesn't have to stay with me. And he doesn't have to sleep with me you know if that's not something the sio-na-hath of Imruk do."

Maera stared at Finne, „You are poisoning your own well," then coughed and looked at Aleci, "I will tell him." She turned back to Finne, hands on her lap, „Are you so very certain you want to go on with this ruse?"

„Yes."

„Refusing assistance while actively drowning is rather foolish don't you think?"

Then Aleci had to laugh, and cough up the wine, because the look on Finne's face was truly comical.