Tramma cuts in

[Jim Roberts]

[Feb 7 -- Ft. Resolute]

> And all throughout, Anadrieniel sat silently, blushing deeply, but
> clearly hanging on her pal Mithi’s every word. But as feared, there
> was a quiet knocking at the door long before the litany of new
> experiences had come to its conclusion.

“Yes?” Anadrieniel squeaked quietly, and then cleared her throat,
repeating the interrogative more clearly.

“Anadrieniel?” Tramma’s voice called gently through the door. “Are those
two lovely wizards with you?”

“They are indeed,” Anadrieniel called back.

“Can you send Finfin out?” the bard’s voice returned. “I think the
Bosses wanted to talk logistics with him again.”

“Will do!” their hostess promised. Turning back to her pal, she said in
a low, fervent voice, “Thank you! Those are exactly the sorts of stories
I love to hear.”

“For purely academic purposes, of course,” Mithi chuckled, but there was
no bite or malice in her voice.

“Of course!” Anadrieniel readily agreed. “And I would very much like to
hear more about… well… those fascinating topological configurations you
were describing just now. I take it that you might well be exploring
some of that sort of advanced topology with that same cast again tonight?”

Mithi giggled. “Well, it wuz supposed ta be a surprise for Fin, but Oi
fink ‘e’s figgured out at least part of what’s in store fer ‘im tonight.”

Finfin nodded. “Something I am most avidly anticipating,” he admitted.

“Me too,” Mithi confirmed. And to their hostess, she added, “And Oi’ll
be sure ta bring back a complete lab report ov this experiment in
topology when we next meet. As well as them books, next time we see
Spindrift.”

“Thank you.”

Mithi looked shrewdly at her old pal. “Now, Oi figgure ya might want ta
see not jest us, but that cute Lord of the Manor off?”

“I would like that very much,” Anadrieniel agreed, as all stood and
walked to the door.

“I really like the dryad!” Tramma exclaimed happily as Anadrieniel
admitted the latest caller. “And I’m sorry to intrude, Fin, but I think
one or two of the Bosses want to have another look at those fine charts
of yours.”

“I will be at their service,” the elf replied. He then turned and gave
Anadrieniel another courtly bow. “It has been my pleasure enjoying your
tea and hospitality.”

“Please come again, Sir Finfinfin,” Anadrieniel replied with a curtsey
of her own.

While the court and elven wizards were exchanging these parting
pleasantries, neither saw Tramma waggling an eyebrow at Mithi, glancing
significantly towards Finfin. Mithi gave a quick grin and a nod.

“Fink Oi’ll join ya, Fin,” she suggested. “Oi really enjoys logistics.”

“I would be delighted in your company,” the elf replied graciously, and
extended an arm. And so arm in arm, the two wizards walked back towards
the conference room, Finfin at least not noticing that Tramma had
remained behind with the court wizard.

The bard quietly closed the door behind the departing couple, and waited
a moment to make sure they were well out of even Finfin’s earshot.
“Sorry I was a little vague about what I wanted to talk to you about
when I called last week,” Tramma told Anadrieniel with a wry smile.

“I was quite intrigued with the magic you used,” the wizard smiled. “I
assume you want to order something, I see you have one of the endure
elements Pussycat clasps. Would you like some Awake tea? There is plenty
left.”

“Yes, thank you,” the silver haired temptress told her gratefully. “I
shall certainly tell you all about the magic some time.” Tramma paused
for a moment, shaking her head. “Let’s do that later if you don’t mind,
there is something potentially a lot more important I wanted to talk
with you about.”

Anadrieniel graciously handed her guest a beaker of tea, looking at the
bard curiously. “You are making this sound a little ominous,” she noted,
sounding both puzzled and a little amused.

“Shells, I hope not,” Tramma chuckled a little ruefully as she sank into
one of the chairs. “Especially since you seemed to have such a lovely
visit with my favorite wizard couple.”

“It is always a delight when they have time to drop in for a visit,”
Anadrieniel smiled. “Amazing how much Mithralia has learned in her
adventures, and she tells such charming stories.”

Tramma nodded polite agreement, studying her hostess more intently than
she hoped the wizard realized while she daintily sipped her tea. The
chanteuse was a keen student of human interactions, and she very much
doubted from the telltale signs she was picking up that Mithi’s stories
had been strictly about wizardry and the derring-do of scouting and
fighting the SJE kobolds and their zombie horde. She remembered quite
well how nervous and stressed Anadrieniel had been helping defend the
wagon train. The bookish wizard had always done her duty, but she was
not the sort to get hot and bothered by THAT sort of tale.

On the other hand, there were those *lovely* steamy books she and her
sister made sure their parents had no idea they enjoyed. Tramma *also*
remembered how often oh-so-innocent Anadrieniel just happened to be
there when the girl-talk began to trend purple. It had not escaped the
ever-observant entertainer’s notice how much the prim and proper older
woman seemed to enjoy hearing the spicy gossip, so she always made a
point of steering the conversation that way when Anadrieniel was around.

Not a particular challenge given her own proclivities and the sort of
ribald teasing so often a feature of the gatherings of the younger crowd
in the wagon train of emigres. Tramma was not the only one who’d noticed
Anadrieniel’s interest, but she had made a point of making sure none of
the boisterous crowd bothered the shy older woman.

Then there was the obvious respect the supposedly strait-laced wizard
always showed for the Moon Priestess Alaelia, and the wizard’s quiet
attendance at Bitani Sacred Dances. Tramma had always been intrigued by
the whole situation, but too respectful of Anadrieniel’s demure reserve
to pry. There had been something of an open conspiracy among some of the
women of the wagon train to steer one or another of the eligible
bachelors traveling with them toward the shy wizard, but they’d never
managed to make any sparks fly. Until the night Lord Erik rode in, a
hurried feminine conspiracy arranged a makeover for Anadrieniel, and
after dancing with her the lord of Fort Resolute offered her a job and
rode off with her the next day to get right to work.

The whispered gossip among the younger women of the wagon train had been
eagerly anticipating some office romance leading to a fairy-tale ending.
What none of them including Tramma had known until just a week ago was
that the dratted knight in shining armor was just as shy in his own way
as Anadrieniel. Perhaps luckily for both of them, a Fairy God-Tramp had
stumbled upon this knowledge and was fully prepared to exert her
considerable magic of several sorts to make all their dreams come true.

But first, she had to make sure Anadrieniel was even still interested.
The entertainer had already determined said knight was, even if the poor
dear man was too tongue-tied to admit it until backed into a corner.
Tramma would not blame the poor woman a bit if she had given up on Erik
in the face of what must have seemed indifference and inattention.

“I am glad you got to catch up with Mithi,” Tramma finally said, looking
steadily over the top of her beaker of tea and exerting all her
considerable skill to hide how intently she was watching her friend.
“Let me get to the point, though, I am not sure how long we have before
we have to teleport away. I shall start with the easy part. How do you
get along with your boss?” She was bending all her formidable ability to
read people reinforced by a fair bit of bardic magic to figure out as
much of what was going on inside the wizard’s head as possible. That
was, after all, what any Fairy God-Tramp worth the title would do.

While the two women talked (and Tramma schemed), all the usual delays
associated with a sudden but vital trip into the field by the lord of
the Fort were playing out as expected. With perhaps a little help here
and there as requested by a certain meddling if good-hearted Tramp on a
mission that had been thrown off her hoped-for schedule by the three
wizards’ extended visit.