"Vera!" Her father said sternly trying to get her attention. "You need to pay attention to the other conversations at the table too, not just your own. Besides, you have other guests and should not exclude them."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude it's hard to pay attention to more than one conversation," she said.
"Then conversations that require your full attention should be conducted at another time and place," her father chided.
Vera sighed because she didn't know when she'd get to see him again, he sounded even busier than he had been last fall. But she knew better than to argue in front of guests and she didn't want to appear rude in front of Diana. "Yes Father, could you please catch me up on what I missed?"
"Diana was just saying how there has been talk of a ball to celebrate the coming alliance with the wildland tribes. And she was wondering if you'd be interested in going." Her father summarized gruffly.
"How can there be talk of a ball already when negotiations have barely begun?" Dan asked.
"Balls require a lot of planning and work so people need to start preparing for the possibility even if there is a chance things fall threw. It is easier to cancel a ball two weeks into planning than plan and execute one in a week or less." Diana explained.
"Still, it's a little early to be inviting people," Dan said.
"Why not? If it happens nearly everyone will be invited, and it would be easy to get Vera an invitation. And if she wanted to come, she'd need time to prepare a proper dress and accessories."
"Oh, well, I wouldn't know the first thing about ballroom dancing. And I doubt I could afford the kind of dress required for such an event."
"Those are minor concerns, I could teach you all you need to know, and I have several old ball gowns that could be easily tailored to you. The question at hand is whether or not you'd like to." Diana said reassuringly.
"Oh, I don't know, I've never really been interested in that sort of thing. I don't even like wearing dresses, and the fancy ones… They look awfully hard to move around in. And I heard that the shoes and corsets are like torcher devices. - I mean no offense my lady, but I don't think it's something I'd enjoy, and I'd likely just embarrass you." she didn't want to insult her new friend by outright denying it without a thought or saying she hated the idea so she did her best to be diplomatic.
"Oh well… that's ok, shoes and corsets can be a pain… but the rest is rather fun… if you change your mind, I'd be happy to help you."
Vera felt bad, Diana seemed so sad that she wasn't interested, and she liked Diana and hoped she hadn't offended her, but also, to be around all those nobles seemed rather intimidating.
"I've never known you to back down from a challenge Vera. Or to pass up an adventure into the unknown." Her uncle Frog stated. He was a quiet man and rarely spoke up, so this comment caught her off guard. And because she would have thought her family would have forbidden her from going or at least discouraged it.
They had always wanted her to keep her distance from the nobles before. Maybe Dan and now Diania had changed their minds about nobles being dangerous people to avoid? Her uncle Frog had been working with them for some time after all. She studied him, then looked to her father and Ham. Ham looked down not willing to weigh in, but her father held her stare, some unknown conflict passing over his face.
In the silence everyone seemed to look at her father, finally, he spoke. "As you pointed out earlier today, you are getting older, and will soon be making decisions for yourself, and I find in my attempt to keep you safe from the world, I may have left you unprepared for it." he sighed deeply. "It may be an educational experience," he added vaguely putting the decision back on her, she felt suddenly confused and torn.
"Vera, your back!" Her close friend Estell exclaimed, bursting through the front door. "Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you had guests," she said suddenly embarrassed.
"It is no problem at all Estell, I know I can't hog her all to myself." Dan said, "Besides, it has gotten late, and we should probably get going. I know you both have some catching up to do too."
Already? Vera glanced at the table and the people around it. The plates were empty, and Bret looked like he regretted eating so much while his wife looked at Estel curiously.
"Oh, this is my close friend Estel, Estel, this is Lady Diana, Bret's wife."
Estel quickly gave a curtsy. "It's nice to meet you lady Diana. Sir Bret," she nodded at him in greeting. "And Mark" she added only to be polite. She didn't like Mark and couldn't understand why they would associate with a mercenary, but Mark had saved them once when they were kids and Dan got him a job helping him in thanks.
Mark liked to act all gruff and uncaring and had rejected the job at first, yet he'd kept an eye out for them during all their adventures, unable to let two kids go off on their own into potentially dangerous situations. Then he complained about the inconvenience it caused him, so he might as well get paid for his efforts. Vera was even thinking of becoming a traveling mercenary herself; another reason Estel didn't like him. She thought Mark was a bad influence.
Diana and Estel exchanged a few pleasantries as the men began to clear the table, "Oh my, I can't believe what I'm seeing!" Lady Diana whispered as if acknowledging it would break the spell and both she and Estel burst into a fit of giggles.
This phenomenon however was normal to Vera. Growing up in a house with no mother to do, what the Centrisions considered womanly tasks her uncles and father had always shared the burden of chores, and though she helped out now that she was older, it was never put exclusively on her which she was grateful for; possibly because the northerners weren't as worried about assigning masculine or feminine roles to every little task. In fact, a man who couldn't take care of himself was considered shameful and little more than a child, and vice versa.
In no time at all, the table was clean, and Dan was giving her a hug goodbye. "Meet me at the wall after school?" he whispered.
"Of course," she said.
"Good, we need to talk," he said before pulling away. The serious tone in his voice had her worried and curious.
She gave him a questioning look but, just nodded; knowing there must be a reason he couldn't tell her now. She briefly hugged the others; even Lady Diana surprised her with a hug. "It was nice to finally meet you Vera, and don't feel pressured about my offer, just take some time to think about it."
"I will, thank you. It was wonderful meeting you too," she said as she waved them all off. It hurt to see her best friend having to leave so soon after being reunited, but at least she'd get to see him again soon she thought as they all road off and her uncle Ham relocked the barn doors. It felt good to be back safe and sound once again and back with her childhood friends yet she could feel the unsettling winds of change on the horizon.