Demesne

Her man had been right. Throwing Mevt into the river had been a lot of fun, and definitely easier than trying to stick her head-first into a barrel of water. Safer too, sometimes there are accidents where there's too much water in the barrel and someone drowns. Mad at her or not, Mevt was still her friend. Just… that really annoying friend that did something to deserve getting her face pushed in every once in a while.

"What was that for!" Mevt yelled at them once she'd finally been able to wade back to shore. Now out of the water and completely soaked, the pink-haired woman was shivering slightly in the summer-like weather

"You deserved it," Erzebed—though only to her mother and the Great Binder, everyone just called her Riz—said, wondering why Rian was staring up at the—oh. Mevt had chosen not to wear a chest wrap today, it seemed.

"Probably!" Mevt yelled. Her being aware of how she was often a terrible person was one of the possibly good things about her, though it would probably be better if she just… wasn't a terrible person. "But what exactly do I deserve it!-? This time, specifically?"

"My first leave, that time that I went with you to that bell house that you suggested!" Riz said, pointing at her indignantly. "And you said you knew someone who'd take care of me? And then it turned out bad?"

"Wait, Mevt did what?" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

"What? I have no idea what you—OH!" Mevt's face went from indignant to understanding what Riz was talking about, and she snickered. "Yeah, I remember that! The look on your face after Cyaren was done… but that was years ago!"

"Well, I just found out this year," Riz said.

"Are we even now, then?" Mevt said as the shivering started to die down.

She thought about it. "We're even for that," Riz nodded. She pointed to the side. "Vlat seems to want to talk to you though. Vlat, want some help throwing her into the river?"

"No, not again, not again—!"

SPLASH!

"I'm clearly going to have to make swimming lessons mandatory for all former militia if you're going to start a trend of throwing each other into the river like that," Rian said as they walked back to where they'd be talking with that winter breeze Rilianne. Well, that was unfair. The woman had always been fair and did her duties and didn't play favorites. A lot like the Great Binder, really. She was just as stiff and cold as a block of ice. "Wouldn't want any of you getting a cramp from panicking and actually drowning."

Riz chuckled, glancing sideways at her man. He was making that face where he was being thoughtful and taking his duties seriously. She'd had officers like that, and most of them had been men and women who had been humorless brambles, sticklers for rules at the expense of the militia itself. Rian… he was the other kind, the ones that made the rules work for the militia and not the other way around. When times were good, they were somewhere being a worrying mother or that fun uncle that told you embarrassing stories about your parents. "I doubt a little excitement like that would give her cramps."

"You obviously haven't been talking to the children," Rian said dryly. "They've each had at least one cramp while swimming, and every single one was so debilitating Shana and Karina had to get them to shore." He looked sideways at the little lady walking next to the Lady Binder. "Karina's had seven that I know of, which is why she's not supposed to swim alone. Right, Karina?"

"Yes, Lord Rian," Karina said, as earnest as a raw recruit that had just arrived and still thought it would all be fun and games and easy beads.

"You realize I know you still plan to go swimming alone," the Lady Binder said. As always, it was slightly creepy to look at her. The cheerful, excitable, energetic child she'd once known who was always running everywhere and happy to see everyone seemed like a faded memory compared to the too-calm, smooth-faced girl who was… well, trying to be a little Great Binder, except she couldn't quite act as uncaring and perpetually annoyed, or winced every time someone talked too loud. It was like those horror stories of how a Dungeon Binder kills someone who offended them in the middle of the night and brings the corpse back as undead just to mess with the dead man's family, a puppet of meat moving only because of the Dungeon Binder's will… although considering all that had happened to the girl and how she reacted when her mother and father were mentioned, that might be closer to the truth than was comfortable.

"I'm not alone when you're with me! So it's all right!"

Rian nodded, a small smile on his face from all this. "Right… Riz, how likely are people to keep throwing Mevt into the river for being annoying?"

"A lot," Riz said immediately, and all her friends—and any passing people who heard the question—all nodded in agreement. Mevt was lucky she was so likeable—and they were all lucky she was so easy going about getting smacked as long as it was for something she'd actually done—because otherwise she'd be one of the most hated people in the company.

He nodded. "As soon as she's part of the demesne, she's getting mandatory swimming lessons. Her and everyone who's thrown her into the river." He reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "That means you too, Riz. Sorry, but you started it. You have to set an example."

Riz winced, remembering the last time her man had tried to teach her—as well as Mikon and Umu—how to swim. He'd taken it quite seriously, doing his best to teach them how to keep their heads above water without getting cramps in their feet and legs, but it had still been a very uncomfortable experience. It had quickly become obvious that wearing skirts was terrible for swimming, although Mikon had been very enthusiastic about learning to take off her skirt in the water, because of course she was. "Do we have to?"

"Would you really be able to live with yourself if Mevt accidentally drowns because of getting thrown into the river?"

Riz sighed. "Maybe?" she said half-heartedly.

"Don't set a bad example in front of children," Shana said.

Very creepy. Children shouldn't know you were being a bad example, much less call you out for it!

After that was guard duty, which was just standing there and not saying anything.

Riz understood why she was here. The Great Binder needed to be guarded because she was the Great Binder, and if she died…

Well, a small part of her said that Tae could step up to become the next Dungeon Binder—once Rian told everyone where the core was—but most of her found the notion horrifying. You needed the Dungeon Binder to keep the demesne safe. Without a Dungeon Binder, the colors would be able to come in and grow on everything and everyone, driving people insane. And without a Dungeon Binder, the dungeon was just a hole in the ground, its heart dead.

And while the Great Binder wasn't here, Shana—the Lady Binder—was, and because the Great Binder was convinced every wizard wanted to kill every other wizard, they had been sent to guard her as well. Once, Riz would have thought the idea was insane, but given what Grem had done… Well, they were going to protect the Lady Binder even against people they knew, even if that person was Rilianne. Everyone knew she was secretly a noble who ran away from home, and Riz figured the kind of person who decided they'd rather be militia than a noble wasn't the kind of person who'd want to be a Dungeon Binder, but that was up to the Great Binder to decide, and she probably wouldn't.

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So Riz and everyone else stood around and tried to look casual as they stood arrayed around where Rian and the Lady Binder were sitting, but just looked awkward as they were clearly on guard. From the looks they were getting people were amused instead of insulted, although given most probably didn't realize that Shana was a Dungeon Binder, it probably wasn't obvious who was being guarded.

Karina, for some reason, had decided to not sit down this time and was instead walking in a wide circle, looking around curiously but keeping Shana in her sight. Or possibly keeping an eye out for wizards who might get too close to Shana. The girl had taken the Great Binder's words about keeping Shana safe very seriously.

"Wizard Rilianne," Rian said as he sat on the bench next to Shana once more. "Has a decision been reached yet? Do you need any further clarification?" He had that vapid smile he wore when he wanted to say something sarcastic and was stopping himself, usually because he was talking to the Great Binder.

"We have, Lord Rian," Rilianne said, glancing at Karina as the girl completed another circuit. The girl smiled at her and waved. "…after consideration and debate, it has been decided that we will settle here."

Rian's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure? Even with the centralization of food?"

"Ah, as to that, perhaps we can discuss whether it's really—"

"No," Rian said immediately. "Centralizing the food is non-negotiable. If you don't trust us to handle the food fairly, just say so to our faces, go away and set up your own demesne so you can do things the way you want it."

Rilianne tilted her head to the side just a hair. "Most would show a little consideration for such a small issue."

"For someone who wants to join the demesne, you sure are insistent on getting your own way," Rian replied. "You want to live in our demesne, you follow our rules or move out. The centralization is for your own good, and if you're not willing to believe that, there's the edge." He jerked his thumb towards the border of the demesne, beyond which the colors of the iridescence were clearly visible. "Would you like to retract your decision now?"

"No," Rilianne said. "However, this will leave several people dissatisfied."

"As they've all probably been in the militia, I'm sure they're well-used to the feeling," Rian said in his flat voice, which… well, he wasn't wrong. "How about this: if it's really important to you, I'll give you a chance to chance to present your case for consideration."

"… and what will this chance involve?"

"You pick someone to represent your company," Rian said, and Riz found herself sighing as she realized where this was going. "But it can't be just anyone, it has to be someone who feels very strongly about this issue. I'll meet with them, and if they can beat me with the strength of their conviction, I am willing to present their arguments for why we should change things to her Bindership."

…yes, it went where she thought it would

"… the strength of their convictions?" Rilianne said dryly, and there was the sharp-witted woman she knew.

"Or their fists, whichever," Rian said with a shrug. "We fight with our fists, no magic, no interference, first to be knocked out or surrender loses."

The words made Riz shudder inside. A body can take a lot of beating without getting knocked out.

"You wish to decide this with fisticuffs?"

"I'd rather not have to get into the subject at all, but you keep insisting on make a heroic last stand on this hill, so I'm showing you a little consideration," Rian said, spreading him arms in a theatrical gesture. "So, who will be representing the company and showing me the strength of their convictions?"

"You won't be doing this," Shana said after Rilianne had left to… well, either report or find someone bigger and stronger than Rian. Maybe both.

"I… won't?" he said, meeting Shana's intent gaze. "Because I sort of have to. I'm the one who ran my big mouth, after all."

"But it is the order of my demesne they are challenging," Shana said as she got to her feet, and Karina moved to stand next to her. The other girl didn't say anything, just stood there and let Shana know she was there.

There was a moment's silence as Rian and Shana stared at each other.

"Oh no… no, that is a terrible idea, in principle alone," Rian said. "You realize Yhallisu is probably the one who's going to show up, right? I'm not sure I can take the man, and you barely come up to my chest! All he has to do it grab your head and he can keep you flailing ineffectually while he kicks you repeatedly."

"I'm well aware of the difference in height, weight, strength, and experience. It does not change my decision. I cannot have my authority be challenged in this manner, so I will deal with the challenge," Shana said. She frowned. "If you do not believe you can defeat him, why did you offer them this option?"

"Because I figured it would be best to give them some false hope, and this issue was better than land or anything else," Rian said. "Also, I'm slightly frustrated at all this time we're wasting and really want to punch someone for it. In hindsight, that last was a terrible idea. I regret it now."

"You know," Mekari said, because this wasn't the militia and Rian had no problem with people just joining the conversation as long as they weren't interrupting anything, "I'm surprised you didn't try to turn this into a vote. You like doing things like that."

Everyone nodded, including Riz. Out of the Great Binder's sight, when there were little issues to take care of, Rian liked to put things to votes.

"This isn't the time for a vote," Rian said. "Quite the opposite, because most people are likely to choose the stupid thing."

"And yet leaving it up to a fist fight is preferable?" Shana said in a flat tone Riz knew very well. She heard it at least once a day at meal times.

"I did say it was a terrible idea, right? And you doing it instead of me would be just as bad!"

…ah, that's what Rian had meant. Riz exchanged glances with everyone else, and got grim, exasperated and resigned expressions. Illyian just sighed.

"I'm doing it," Shana said. "This is my demesne. To challenge the way it is conducted is to challenge my authority and undermines the Great Binder's authority by extension."

"You said you'd leave negotiating to me, remember!"

"And I have. This isn't negotiation, it's violence."

Rian opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then grit his teeth together. The look on his face was one Riz knew very well, both recently and back from when she was in the militia: the look of someone trying to find a way to tell a superior officer what they wanted to do was stupid without actually calling them stupid.

Finally, he said, "As a lord, I feel it's my duty to tell you that what you want to do is a stupid idea and I would strongly advise not doing it."

Huh, he actually called it stupid to her face.

"You shouldn't call people stupid," Karina said primly. "It sets a bad example."

"… you're right Karina, I shouldn't have said that."

Karina gave an approving nod, and everyone else looked at Rian to tell told him he was being strange. He just shrugged.

"Your opinion and opposition is noted," Shana said. "My decision remains unchanged. And you should know that Wizard Rilianne is returning. This discussion is at an end. If you truly wish to not have me in this position, then perhaps you should negotiate a way to have them drop the subject."

Rian groaned, putting a hand to his face. "Yllian… please advise her this is a bad idea."

"Great Binder," Yllian said, "Rian is right. While the challenge to your authority needs to be answered, it does not need to be by you."

"Noted," Shana said, making Rian groan again. Everyone knew what it meant when the Great Binder said that, and the Lady Binder was probably using it the same way. "I'm still doing it. Ensure that there is no interference, even from Lord Rian."

"You said it exactly like her, too," Rian sighed. "Sha—Binder Shanalorre, you realize Lori is a terrible role model for… practically anything, right? She's a mess in the shape of a human being, and she knows it enough that she specifically has me to deal with other people."

"I am aware," Shana said as Riz and everyone else who has ever met the Great Binder—except Karina, who just looked clueless—nodded at the description. "Tell me, Lord Rian. Has she ever used you as a means of getting someone else to respect her?"

There was a moment of silence.

It was broken as Rian sighed explosively. "Just because you're probably right doesn't mean this is the correct course of action," he said, clearly exasperated. "Fine, you want to be like Lori? Let me and Yllian handle things so that you don't have to fight."

"Me?" Yllian said, looking amused at being included.

"Yes, you. You're her lord aren't you? That means you need to help me deal with this so that it never gets to her. Because if we fail, then she'd going to have to fight someone, and she clearly has no intention of changing her mind."

"… Rian, have you ever seen the Great Binder fight?" Yllian said.

"The way you're saying it implies a lot, but that doesn't matter," Rian said. "If it's gotten to the point our Dungeon Binders have to fight, then we've both clearly failed at our jobs."

"… you are correct," Yllian said, suddenly stone-faced. "What do you need of me, Rian?"

"Right now? How well can you sneer?"

It was times like this that Riz was reminded that for all his charm and wit, her man could be a very strange person.