Mayra replayed her conversation with Peter over in her mind several times over the course of the afternoon. She had been mostly joking when she first teased him about jealousy. Him admitting to it was nothing short of shocking.
She liked their playful banter, even though it had turned more and more into fighting since they'd come to the sea. Why was that? When had they left their playfulness behind and come to be at each other's throats?
She knew, she realized with a grimace. It was when she first thought Riley had possibly set them up as a couple for his own purposes. She'd caused all this by letting her upbeat remarks become more cutting.
She'd been trying to drive him away without even consciously doing so… and underneath that current, he had been feeling things for her? Jealousy, even? She was ashamed at how she'd treated him.
He deserved far better than her capricious moods and baseless accusations. She enjoyed making matches for others because she liked to see them happy. She didn't think Peter could be all that happy with her… she didn't think anyone could, really.
She was better alone, she thought in shame. She'd make someone miserable if they had to be with her all the time.
No, that was ridiculous. She wasn't THAT bad, surely. In fact, she was smart, and at least a little pretty! And a good baker! Any man would be lucky to have her!
She threw her hands over her face in frustration at the ongoing argument within her mind. She could be neither all good nor all bad, but it was hard to land somewhere in the middle in her opinion of herself.
Poor Peter. Why did he have to have feelings for her of any kind, other than a playful tolerance of her presence? They'd had a lot of fun as young friends teasing one another. They had been the same size back then.
But he had to go off and become a man. Tall and muscular, he intimidated her now. He had said she'd matured. Had she, really?
She cringed, and went back to the Bridal Hut to check on the Rhone girls she was meant to be helping. There were only ten right now, but there would be many more soon, she was sure.
By Cora's estimates, the bride shortage across all of Ceto's settlements had to number in the hundreds, or even more. Rhone had lost thousands of soldiers in the war, and so there must be many women in need of a husband among the nomadic nation.
Though the girls all intended to wear their face coverings throughout the feast, and a dance which was to coincide with it, they still primped in their way, changing into clean clothes and using flowers to make themselves smell nice. Mayra cleared her throat to get their attention.
"If I might offer some words of advice," Mayra hesitated to call anything she said 'wisdom' at this point, "the Cetoans value assertiveness and initiative as desirable qualities in a woman. The men often go out to sea, so the bonds you form with a man's female relatives, I'm told, will be just as important as your relationship with your husband.
"They eat a lot of fish here, including for breakfast. I've been learning some simple cooking skills from Cora that I can begin teaching tomorrow to any of you who would like to learn.
"If any man is bothering or harassing you tonight, or at any time, please let me or Peter know immediately, and it will be dealt with. You are not alone, and you will be defended from anyone who makes you feel uncomfortable or tries anything inappropriate."
The girls each nodded, though one or two still looked uneasy.
"You may be asked to dance tonight. It is completely up to you whether you would like to do so." Mayra had taught them a few of the steps that she'd learned at Naomi's wedding, and was confident the girls could easily learn more. "Are we ready to go?"
She was again met with silent nods, and sighed. Like Naomi, these girls might struggle with assertiveness. She hoped it would work out.
The tables were set, with a long, narrow table of honor closest to the ocean. Cora sat there as hostess of the event, with the Rhone girls seated on either side of her. Mayra sat nearby, next to Ashley, to make it clear she was not one of the brides.
Peter took the seat on the other side of her as Cora began introducing each potential bride in turn. Mayra was impressed that the woman could remember each of their names even with their veils on; she'd had no luck trying to keep that information in her head.
"What are these dishes?" Ashley gestured in front of them as the feasting began, and Mayra happily took up the quiet conversation as a distraction from Peter's presence.
"This is a type of fish fried in oil, this is a bread I found out is cooked in a special oven that gets buried underground with spices, and that is a type of shellfish called shrimp." She pointed to one directly in front of her.
She chanced a glance at Peter out of her peripheral vision and continued, "They're definitely not bugs."
He had been taking a drink of water as she was speaking and almost choked on it.
Mayra smiled at him a little mischievously and he rewarded her with a grin of his own. The tension between them lessened a little, and both felt a modicum of relief.
"Sorry about this afternoon," Peter whispered.
"Don't be," Mayra reached under the table to squeeze his hand, "We'll figure it out."
He turned his hand palm-up to hold hers in return, and squeezed it lightly back: an apology for pulling away before.
They smiled at each other, the friendship tentatively repaired.
If Ashley noticed this interchange, she didn't let on, enthralled by the sights and sounds of the atmosphere around them. Some men were giving an acrobatic performance of sorts as the feast began, doubtlessly trying to impress the Rhone women with their shows of strength as they made a human pyramid or lifted one another over their heads in a handstand.
The display was working, as the girls' eyes–the only part of their faces visible–were wide with surprise.
Mayra smiled and released Peter's hand to eat her meal. She tried to keep track of which girl was watching which man, but the numbers involved made it difficult.
She did make one or two helpful notations before the meal had ended about which girls seemed overwhelmed and who seemed to be courageous and willing to take the plunge on getting to know the men.
Soon enough, the meal ended and the dancing began. The clamor to ask girls to dance was at first a little disorderly, as the number of grooms vastly outnumbered the brides for now.
Cora clapped her hands in reproach, and a line formed. Most of the men didn't seem to care who they danced with; a chance to get to know any of the women was enough.
The girls who were more willing to dance found the attention highly flattering, while one or two remained terrified and stayed seated.
Mayra watched cautiously to make sure they would be left in peace until things settled down, but Cora seemed to have it well in hand. It was good that she'd sat them all at her own table; she was able to roost over them like a mother hen looking protectively over her chicks.
Gordon made an appearance at her table, and offered his hand to Mayra to ask her for a dance. Several other men looked on with interest to see what she would do.
Mayra looked not at Gordon, but at Peter before she answered. He seemed calm and smiled at Gordon, and tilted his head slightly in encouragement that Mayra should take Gordon up on the offer.
She frowned slightly, but accepted the offer mainly as a gesture to the shy girls that everything would be all right.
The song was blessedly shorter than the others, and despite Gordon's lack of conversational skill, he was a very good dance partner. Mayra found herself relaxing a little, caught up in the swirls and steps of the lively tune.
The Rhone girls did seem bolstered by their instructor's presence on the dance floor, and soon the rest of them were coaxed into the merriment. The emotion of the atmosphere heightened, and the possibility for flirtation and enjoyment made everyone a little giddy.
Another song commenced and before she knew what was happening, Mayra found herself in another man's arms. She had meant to sit down after the one song, but it seemed that would not easily be an option for her.
She couldn't remember his name, though she was sure she had danced with him at Naomi's wedding. He was kind and witty and she laughed at a joke he made before she looked over his shoulder…
And caught Peter's pained gaze watching her.