It was uncharacteristically dark in the familiar corridors of the Sebek house as the two women made their way to the living quarters, both of them steeped in various degrees of exhaustion. The journey back from the Golden Glade had been quite uneventful, which was to be expected since they spent it beneath a waterproof canopy in a lumbering cart with little conversation to be had.

The young woman had been pleasantly surprised when Ederra informed her that she'd secured them a return trip as well, but even if it hadn't been for the risk of further injuring her friend's ankle, Ederra would have bent over backwards to see that they didn't have to play by the rules. She'd insisted on leaving as soon as possible, not lingering to conduct any additional ceremonies. Unsurprisingly, Tahni hadn't expressed any regret at failing to honor her ancestors, and they were soon back in the same cart, counting their blessings. As far as Ederra was concerned, those currently consisted of a sufficiently warm dress, new information from Tahni's sparse whispered accounts, and that suspicious vial of definitely-not-tonic she had stashed in her pocket.

As far as she'd understood, tomorrow would be a very important day, marking the celebration of monarchy itself in the form of a ceremonial hunt with the obligatory feast afterwards, at which every royal candidate was naturally expected, along with a host of nobles, retainers, and courtiers. Ederra had secretly allowed herself to dream of such elaborate events when she was a child, picturing herself sitting on the throne while everybody else fell over themselves to please her. But things had changed considerably since then.

For one, she no longer dreamed of being the center of attention, instead aspiring to freely conduct her business in the shadows, with no one else noticing her or her true intentions. The power to control the strings pulling at the emotions and reactions of others appealed to her so much more since she'd matured into what she believed was a reasonable and balanced adult. True, she was still quite young, with many life lessons in store, but she wanted to gather experience and see how the masters did it.

Another welcome addition was the newfound sense of responsibility. Even though posing as a mere lady-in-waiting might have been seen as a shameful downgrade by her former self, this new and hopefully improved version of Ederra was looking forward to it all. People depended on her to find solutions to various problems, so rather than being an outsider regarding everyone else with haughty detachment, she now found that she had started fitting in. She'd never realized how much she'd wanted this until it started happening.

There was no lying to herself about her feelings regarding Monarchy Day; she was well and truly excited.

That warm stirring of her heart didn't fade even after they'd entered the quiet family house of the Sebeks', where order and propriety followed the model set by the master of the house. However, neither of Tahni's parents were there to welcome them when they arrived, a fact for which they were both grateful since it meant they wouldn't have to offer any additional explanations.

"Why can't I see anything?" complained Tahni as they trudged along the corridor leading to their rooms. "It's still light outside."

"Not for very long," muttered Ederra, picking her steps carefully on the slippery floor.

"I'll have a word with Mother to replace these sconces. The design is hideous anyway and - ooh!"

Ederra whirled around to steady her falling friend, and they both almost ended up in a tangled heap on the floor. Steadying themselves again took significant effort and elicited a rush of well-earned pride.

"Who the hell leaves a sack in the middle of the hallway?" complained Tahni, kicking at the intrusive lump.

Ederra squinted in the indicated direction and froze as she made out the unmistakable shape of a foot. Sure enough, a bored voice interrupted Tahni's litany of curses, making her yelp instead.

"No sane person, I assure you," drawled Steppo, at last deigning to begin the laborious process of standing up. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't miss you when you came back."

Ederra couldn't suppress a shudder as she took in the man's impressive height and built. She'd been too distracted by necessity the day before, having failed to notice the coiled power that lay in that body. And if he were half as cunning as Tahni seemed to imply, he was a dangerous man indeed. 

So why in Attari's name did he go to such pains in order to create the image of a sluggard?

"What do you want?" asked Tahni with difficulty, since she was clearly torn between cursing him some more and gnashing her teeth until they let off sparks. "At my door, like a dog!"

Steppo put his hands up in a placating gesture.

"I don't think you have what it takes to inspire such loyalty even in a dog, little sister. They may be animals, but they do have brains."

He seemed to have added something under his breath, but it was lost as Tahni snarled back at him.

"Explain yourself!" she demanded. "Are you here to steal from me again?"

"The «again» has no place in that sentence, and for that matter, neither does the entire accusation. I never stole anything from you, and I can only hope you have extended me the same courtesy. But," he continued, and Ederra saw Tahni tensing in anticipation of the moment when she'd finally have a good excuse to punch him again, "I have made a rather unfortunate, but not at all surprising discovery while I was waiting for you to drag yourself back in."

He cleared his throat, eyeing his sister carefully, since he couldn't possibly have misread her murderous intent.

"The reason why it's so dark in here has nothing to do with the sconces themselves - however much I abhor to agree with you that the design truly is terrible - but with one mutual acquaintance of ours, who makes it her business to rifle through other people's belongings when no one is there to challenge her. She dims the lights to make it easier to go around unnoticed."

Tahni made no response, crouching ever so slightly, as if getting ready to lunge.

"Haven't you guessed yet who it is I'm talking about? I'll give you a hint-"

"Is it Nazar?" blurted Ederra, unable to stay silent anymore.

Steppo turned towards her, but she couldn't make out his expression.

"Why, yes," he said in a soft voice. "That is exactly who I mean."

"Liar!" hurled Tahni, stepping forward menacingly.

"Settle down, you hellion. Your friend here has made an educated guess following a reasonable judgment. Forget listening to me, how about you ask her instead?"

"Why don't you just tell us what you saw?" urged Ederra, loath to reveal that her judgment had consisted solely of the biased consideration that the woman looked untrustworthy.

"I-" began Steppo, but was immediately cut off by his belligerent sister.

"How do you know it was her? By your own admission, it's very dark in here!"

Steppo paused for a moment, then began to chuckle. To Tahni's growing chagrin, he didn't stop until a good while had passed.

"You really want to jump at my throat today, don't you?" he managed at last. "Alright, consider this: how do you know this is your hated brother you're speaking to right now? Maybe you want to destroy him so badly, that your mind has conjured up his image and is now offering you what you've always desired. Then," he added, gesturing towards Ederra, "you've convinced this poor creature to share your deluded fantasy and now you're making threats to a total stranger, or worse yet, to thin air, because there's no one actually here."

It was Tahni's turn to pause, but when she spoke again she sounded perfectly calm, belying the wrath she must have felt.

"If there's really no one here, then I have no reason to remain and listen to imaginary words spoken out of empty air."

Steppo inclined his head in a mock bow, gesturing with his hand towards one of the doors looming to the side of the corridor.

"By all means," he said. "I was in fact waiting to speak with your friend."

Tahni let out a derisive snort, but then instead of throwing herself into an all-out battle the way she had a few nights before, she surprisingly heeded her brother's dismissal and walked towards her room. She paused right before opening the door and turned to look back at Ederra, who caught the meaning of her gaze despite the darkness.

The next thing she knew, the door was shut with definite anger and she was alone in the hallway with a man who could charitably be described as "a tad suspicious".

Ederra struggled to hold back a gulp. She couldn't help but draw parallels to the situation she'd found herself in the night before, when Hanadan had climbed through her window to negotiate their deal. It had been just as dark then, and he could have easily overpowered her, but she somehow felt more afraid now, in front of her supposed future brother-in-law, with Tahni aware of their meeting and only a shout away should things really turn sour. Not that they had any reason to, of course. From the short interactions she'd had with Steppo, Ederra had deduced that he wasn't very fond of his family members - with the possible exception of Meyo - and that Tahni really brought out the worst in him. But he was perfectly capable of remaining civil when it suited him, and she'd never given him reason to doubt her. Not to mention, she wasn't technically a family member yet.

"What can I do for you?" she asked as steadily as she could.

"I came to express my admiration for what you've done with my sister," he replied casually. "I'll grant you that she's not an ugly girl, but rendering her almost acceptable after our scuffle the other evening, not to mention finding a suitable hairstyle for her since she will not do Mother's bidding and let it grow longer... I am honestly astounded."

For that matter, so was Ederra, but for entirely different reasons. This was certainly not the direction she had expected the conversation to go.

"Thank you," she said, trying to match his bland tone. "I do not claim to be a great master, but I have given it my best in service of my friend, and incidentally, your family. I am forever grateful to your mother for allowing me to accompany Tahni."

"Yes, not many women who have undertaken that task have survived to be willing to share the experience. The last hairstylist alone ran off screaming. So, naturally, I was wondering if you might be willing to part with some tips for a beginner."

"You want to do your hair?" asked Ederra incredulously, her eyebrows shooting up. She was tactful enough to refrain from mentioning that there was hardly anything he could do given its current length, apart from cutting it some more or even shaving it entirely.

Steppo chuckled, as if he too had considered that possibility and deemed it ridiculous.

"No, though I appreciate the offer. I was referring to your skills in the concealment department, for instance how you might go around hiding someone's bruises or making them look less... menacing." He paused, studying her intently, and she struggled to form a coherent reply.

"There are some pigments..." she began hesitantly, then froze as he gently clasped her upper arm and guided her deeper into the hallway.

"Yes, that is exactly what I meant," he continued pleasantly, as if he weren't up to anything shifty. He was guiding her towards a shadowy alcove a good distance away, and when she deliberately stopped to protest, he placed his finger against his lips, cupped his ear with his other hand, then pointed towards Tahni's door.

Ederra nodded, but found another way to stall as she halted by one of the wall sconces.

"How do you make them bright again?" she whispered.

"You raise the wick and adjust the reflector."

Ederra frowned at the sconce, venturing to try it out, but he was now pulling at her in truth. She stifled a sigh, allowing herself to be dragged away. Fortunately, he didn't sequester her into the alcove, instead pausing right before it where a fortunate positioning of the nearby sconce reflector created a flickering pool of light. He cast a worried gaze back towards his sister's doorway, but he could hardly make out anything at that distance. For that matter, neither could Tahni, were she truly trying to spy on them.

Ederra tried to withhold judgment until he revealed the true subject of conversation, but that proved difficult when he loomed so large in the shadowy space.

"So," he said at last, "would you recommend shaving?"

When she said nothing in return, he went on as if nothing were amiss.

"I reckon I might have some trouble convincing them to lose their beards, but I'd say it would be worth it. And they'll grow back soon enough."

Ederra blinked, but he was really waiting for a reply this time, so she made herself say something that made sense.

"A beard is fine," she ventured, "as long as it's well-groomed. If I might have a little indication as to what you're trying to work with..."

"I suppose hygiene is of primary importance," interrupted Steppo, seemingly lost in his own private musings. "That is unavoidable. And maybe with clean hair and the right clothes..."

He shook himself, then straightened and regarded her with renewed concentration.

"I've started making inquiries regarding our gourd situation. I will keep you informed should any relevant information be disclosed."

"Shouldn't you tell Tahni as well?"

Steppo groaned, then braced himself as if she'd just thrown a bucket of cold water over his head rather than make a perfectly reasonable suggestion.

"I'd rather chew rocks," he said solemnly. "And then spit them at her face."

"You're both so childish," observed Ederra. "You assume the worst of each other and jump at any opportunity for conflict."

"There's nothing to be done for it now," said Steppo dryly.

Though Ederra disagreed, she wisely chose not to reveal her perspective.

"Thank you for the help," she said instead. "I can't even begin to imagine what must have happened, but we're bound to reach the answer if we persevere."

"Lovely attitude," muttered Steppo. Louder, he added: "I was given to understand that something undesirable happened at the palace yesterday. Was my sister..."

"She was attacked by an assassin," replied Ederra levelly, as if that were just another everyday occurrence. "Fortunately, the man was an idiot and the only injured party was himself."

"And my sister is still in the trials?"

"Yes, and she's doing marvelously well."

Although his fixed smile didn't waiver, Ederra had the distinct impression of overwhelming disappointment coursing through him. His shoulders slumped and he shifted his feet nervously.

"Thank you," he said at last. "I do not think there was anything else I wanted to discuss..."

"Was it truly Nazar you saw?"

His head came up sharply and she caught the fierce glint in his eyes.

"She's a snake," he growled. "She keeps Mother wrapped around her finger, convincing her that we couldn't survive without her."

"My father hired several chatelaines throughout the years," pondered Ederra. "None of them dared to steal from him."

"Compare my father with yours and see who comes up short," said Steppo. "Who would be quicker to anger and likely to mete out a heavier punishment?"

He let out a deep sigh and startled Ederra as he reached out to clasp her arm, squeezing gently.

"Leave Nazar to me," he said. "I know I have no right to ask, but please try and keep my sister safe. As much as possible, given her proclivities."

He let go of her and turned around without waiting for a reply. Ederra watched him scuttle back into the shadows and disappear almost as soon as he left her side. Her hands shook and she clasped her skirts in an attempt to steady them.

Saying that this family was complicated would have been an understatement, but she was now finding that she'd grown quite attached to them all. Turning on her heel, she headed for her own room, her mind furiously working up potential problems and viable solutions that were likely to come up in the near future.