A few dry remarks flit through Zohreh's mind--and yet here you are parroting their remarks; how reassuring to know that the 'good guys' have no kindness in their hearts--but Zohreh always defaults to silence when she is not certain of the value of her comments. She does not wish to be drawn into a debate. She cannot shape logical arguments the way that Lenore does, loading guilt and empathy and persuasion into an irrefutable point.
So she simply jerks her head to indicate that Gideon might take the spot beside her, to be accepted and to ride companionably. Neither one answers to the other, only to Lenore, so Zohreh has no need to worry about showing favoritism. Gideon exists outside of the system of ranks, attached exclusively to Lenore. Zohreh may treat her accordingly.
That doesn't, however, mean that Zohreh is particularly inclined to conversation. Just that she's willing to tolerate Gideon's presence and a minimum of prattling.
They stop sometime in the early morning, while dawn is still only the most distant of possibilities on the horizon, at a little town with a large enough inn. Lenore descends from her carriage, negotiating with the town's headwoman, her husband, and the innkeeper and his daughter. Within just a few minutes, accommodations are arranged for the day. Everyone in the town is human, but they seem on good terms with Lenore, and she knows several of them by name, asking about someone's daughter and someone else's elderly father and giving her sympathies when she finds that the father has died. She asks about food supplies and the distribution lines that run past the town, if they have enough to eat, if they've had any trouble, whether there are still bandit problems in the area.
The other villagers move off with various packs of soldiers, most of the soldiers--including Zohreh--staying in the inn, some--including Esfir--staying in private homes, and the last bunch--with Lenore, Gideon and the maid--to stay in the headwoman's home. Lenore walks with the headwoman while her soldiers and the townsfolk bustle around seeing to the practicalities of the day's stay. A few of the townsfolk seem skittish or scared of the vampires in general, but the sentiment toward Lenore is only one of fascination or awe, while the headwoman and the innkeeper show genuine friendliness toward Lenore and no fear at all of the others.
Within twenty minutes, Gideon and Lenore are seated in the headwoman's house with bowls of hot stew and goblets of wine. There's also a small bowl of lamb's blood for Lenore, which she sips daintily while continuing to talk business with the headwoman.
After an hour, Lenore retires upstairs to bed. The headwoman has surrendered her own room for Lenore's use, and Lenore's maid is seated at a table there with her own empty bowl and goblet and a book in hand. The large bed is freshly made up, while there's a makeshift bed of rug, blankets and pillow laid out in front of the fire, though it looks more like the maid's size than Gideon's. At her mistress' appearance, the maid hops up immediately and comes to help her with hair and gown. They undress Lenore to her skin, leaving only a pair of white panties, and then she's helped into a diaphanous nightdress.
no subject
So she simply jerks her head to indicate that Gideon might take the spot beside her, to be accepted and to ride companionably. Neither one answers to the other, only to Lenore, so Zohreh has no need to worry about showing favoritism. Gideon exists outside of the system of ranks, attached exclusively to Lenore. Zohreh may treat her accordingly.
That doesn't, however, mean that Zohreh is particularly inclined to conversation. Just that she's willing to tolerate Gideon's presence and a minimum of prattling.
They stop sometime in the early morning, while dawn is still only the most distant of possibilities on the horizon, at a little town with a large enough inn. Lenore descends from her carriage, negotiating with the town's headwoman, her husband, and the innkeeper and his daughter. Within just a few minutes, accommodations are arranged for the day. Everyone in the town is human, but they seem on good terms with Lenore, and she knows several of them by name, asking about someone's daughter and someone else's elderly father and giving her sympathies when she finds that the father has died. She asks about food supplies and the distribution lines that run past the town, if they have enough to eat, if they've had any trouble, whether there are still bandit problems in the area.
The other villagers move off with various packs of soldiers, most of the soldiers--including Zohreh--staying in the inn, some--including Esfir--staying in private homes, and the last bunch--with Lenore, Gideon and the maid--to stay in the headwoman's home. Lenore walks with the headwoman while her soldiers and the townsfolk bustle around seeing to the practicalities of the day's stay. A few of the townsfolk seem skittish or scared of the vampires in general, but the sentiment toward Lenore is only one of fascination or awe, while the headwoman and the innkeeper show genuine friendliness toward Lenore and no fear at all of the others.
Within twenty minutes, Gideon and Lenore are seated in the headwoman's house with bowls of hot stew and goblets of wine. There's also a small bowl of lamb's blood for Lenore, which she sips daintily while continuing to talk business with the headwoman.
After an hour, Lenore retires upstairs to bed. The headwoman has surrendered her own room for Lenore's use, and Lenore's maid is seated at a table there with her own empty bowl and goblet and a book in hand. The large bed is freshly made up, while there's a makeshift bed of rug, blankets and pillow laid out in front of the fire, though it looks more like the maid's size than Gideon's. At her mistress' appearance, the maid hops up immediately and comes to help her with hair and gown. They undress Lenore to her skin, leaving only a pair of white panties, and then she's helped into a diaphanous nightdress.