[IRW Aylhr] Penumbra - SD242303.17 - The Melancholy of Rhae'go tr'Neyl Pt 1

A Mission Post by Riov Rhaego tr'Neyl
Mission: Penumbra
Location: Neyl Estate, Aihai, Ch'Rihan
Timeline: 2 Weeks Previous

[Ch'Rihan, Aihai]

Materializing into the midday warmth of Eisn, Rhae'go looked up at the pale blue sky. Overhead, a large silky strand of cloud passed by coating the emerald landscape in translucent shadows. Next to him D'Nal seemed to admire the scenery. In the distance the turquoise waters of the Apnex sea splashed and shimmered against the concrete dock and rocky banks. It had been over two decades since he last set foot on his family's estate, and seeing it now brought him a dizzying wave of nostalgia.

He felt a hand grasp his shoulder and looked up to see D'Nal smiling softly at him "are you okay."

He returned the smile and nodded his head "I am fine, it just has been a long time since I have been here." He started to follow the paved walkway that was lined by well-manicured hedges and tall intricate bronze lamps. Everything reminded Rhae'go of his childhood playing with cousins and servant children here. In the distance he could hear the familiar shouting and laughter of children which caught him off guard, almost as if his thoughts had personified into being. He stopped and looked ahead at the main yard where four children ran and shouted at each other. They held wooden sticks and seemed to be pretending they were disruptor weapons, one boy shouted, "die Klingon" and made a buzzing sound and waved the wooden weapon in his hand. In response another child fell over shouting a garbled language- no doubt trying to imitate Klingon. Rhae'go chuckled at the scene and next to him he heard D'Nal also laughing at the spectacle.

The pair approached the children and Rhae'go said "Jolan'tru" waving a hand at them. So enamored in their game that the children hadn't noticed them until they were very close. Startled, all four ran off to the main estate entrance and barreled through the large wooden door.

"You must be very scary." D'Nal laughed.

"Oh?" Rhae'go chuckled "I must be."

At the doorway and older Romulan woman appeared, an expression of exasperation on her face as she seemed to be drying wet hands in a rag that hung from the front pocket of her apron. "Who is it that comes-" her voice trailed off as her eyes met Rhae'go's. Those eyes suddenly started to glimmer, and she rushed over to Rhae'go and embraced him "you did not tell me you would be coming!"

"I'm sorry Eviess." Rhae'go said and returned the embrace of the Neyl head servant. "I did not want to bother you." She had been the head servant of House Neyl for as long as he could remember. She was ever as much of a mother figure as his own mother had been. In fact, for the greater part of his life Eviess raised him along with her own children. When his mother was declared a traitor and her name was thrice written and thrice burned Rhae'go could not abandon his family's servants. So, he spent the better part of the last two decades sending his earnings as a Leih back to his servants to keep the estate running. Without it, most would have found themselves homeless and jobless. There were fewer things in the Empire more shameful then having served a traitor.

"Bother!" Eviess scolded but continued to hold him for another long minute before finally letting go. Stepping back, she looked him over "why are you so skinny!" She fussed and looked at D'Nal "and I see you brought a guest! How inconsiderate young tr'Neyl. The estate is in such a mess! We have crates of silk everywhere and Delon won't be back to move it until tomorrow!" She stopped and looked at him as the strain of concern suddenly etched on her face "why are you back? You are not in trouble, are you?!"

Rhae'go shook his head at her "I was recently promoted. I am the new Leih of the IRW Aylhr."

She clapped her hands suddenly "that is wonderful!" She turned to D'Nal "and who is this handsome friend of yours?" She smirked at D'Nal, and he chuckled at her in response.

"This is my…" he paused for a slight moment "e'lev D'Nal tr'Xibanas. He is the Leih of the IRW Nei'rrh."

"e'lev!" Eviess suddenly became giddy "then you are my own son now D'Nal tr'Xibanas!" He grabbed his arm and led him towards the estate. Rhae'go followed as D'Nal gave him an amused look over his shoulder as he was led away.

Inside the main entrance of the estate, they were greeted by a crowd of people. Eviess let go of D'Nal and moved into the crowd "let me introduce you to my family, all proud to serve house Neyl." She pointed at the four young boys they had seen playing earlier "my youngest grandchildren Miral, Maec, Maiell, and Maerik." She pointed at a young woman "my daughter Ihho, and our primary gardener." She then pointed to a young man who wore a soot-stained apron "Rhian, my oldest grandson and one of the best cooks in Aihai!" She finally motioned to a woman who seemed to be a bit older than Ihho but still very much young "and this is Sindari, Delon's bondmate and mother to those four demons." She smirked.

"And this." She motioned to Rhae'go "is the hru'hfirh of House Neyl. Rhae'go i-Aihai tr'Neyl." All of them bowed simultaneously at him.

"There's no need for such formality." Rhae'go said with a smile "we are all family here."

The boys suddenly encircled him "are you a Riov?" one asked.

"Of course, he is a Riov! Don't you see his rank insignia?!" Another chided and then punched the other boy who yelped.

"Maiell!" Sindari shouted "what are you doing in front of the hru'hfirh! Don't fight! All of you go outside!" She looked at Rhae'go "forgive them my lord, they can be difficult children sometimes." And started to usher them towards the doorway with spread arms.

"Rhae'go." Ihho spoke his name and sauntered over to him "Riov eh?" Her eyes moved to D'Nal "and who is this?" She poked a finger at him.

"D'Nal tr'Xibanas." Rhae'go said and laughed "why are you so interested?"

"Yes, yes but you know what I'm asking." She sighed "you've never brought any friends over in the six decades I have known you and now you suddenly show up with someone? It seems a bit odd."

"Mmm, why are you so nosey!" Eviess scolded and started to push Ihho towards the doorway too "don't you need to work on the flower beds Ihho?!"

"Gah!" She shouted, "fine fine" and turned her attention back to Rhae'go before she was completely out of the doorway "we will finish this conversation later Rhae'go!"

Once Ihho was gone Eviess shut the door and let out a tired sigh "so, are either of you hungry?" She led them into the kitchen where several large pots of stew seemed to be boiling on the main stove. Rhian was standing over them with a large wooden ladle which he used to gently stir their contents. "I did not know you were coming" she chided him, but it was gentle ribbing "so all I have is the hlai stew Rhian was making for dinner. We can get you a plate along with some soft bread and ale?"

"Your Hlai stew has always been amazing Eviess. That will be fine." Rhae'go said. She led them to the servants table and urged them to sit.

"Unfortunately, the main dining room is currently full of crates of silk, or I would let you eat there." Eviess smirked "you spent plenty of days as a child eating your meals at this table though so I doubt you will mind it." She grabbed two bowls and went to Rhian who used the ladle to slop several healthy portions into both. Returning to the table she set down a steaming bowl in front of each of them along with a plate of soft bread. Setting two glasses down she filled them with ale-water. "Enjoy, let me know if you need anything. I have something I must tend to."

D'Nal picked up the soft bread and tore off a piece. Dipping the bread into the stew he brough the soaked edge to his mouth and blew on the dripping bread causing the steam to flutter away before taking a bite. After biting into it he paused and stared at Rhae'go.

"Everything okay?" Rhae'go asked noticing D'Nal's strange expression as he tore off a small piece of the bread and tossed it into his mouth.

After swallowing and drowning the stew bread with a healthy portion of ale-water D'Nal grinned "I am just wondering how you never became fat with such great cooks in your house Rhae'go."

"Good question." Rhae'go smiled. The pair continued to chat about random topics as they enjoyed the homecooked meal. When they were nearly finished with their food Eviess returned.

"I have finished setting up the master bedroom. I think you find a lot in there familiar."

"You didn't need to go through the trouble Eviess. I did not want to intrude and can sleep-"

"You are hru'hfrih Rhae'go. You must accept your place." She said sternly "if you are to rebuild the glory of this house, you must." This time her tone was a bit softer "between your mother and yourself you have both been gracious to us. You could have abandoned us when your mother died- and yet you sacrificed a lot to make sure we could survive in the aftermath. If Ameh'ah were here now she would chide you. Accept your place. Leih of the Aylhr? What an amazing honor you have been given. Your mother would be so proud!"

Would she? Rhae'go wondered but still smiled at Eviess "indeed I should. I have a question for you."

"Oh?" Eviess looked at him, her brow raising slightly with curiosity "what did you want to know?"

"I know you said a lot of the rooms currently have supply crates in them. I wanted to host a dinner party for my new crew. Is that something you think we would be able to do in a few days?"

Eviess clapsed her hands together "of course! Aerv and Delon will be back tomorrow to move out a lot of the crates. They just needed somewhere to store them, and truth be told, room is in abundance here lately. It will be wonderful to host a party. How long has it been since the las…" she stopped her train of thought realizing that the last celebration was the one where Rhae'go's mother had died a long with her husband. "Well, it's been a while. It will be good to have a gathering again. I will go make a list for Sindari so she can pick up supplies at the markets tomorrow morning. It will be a true celebration!"

Rhae'go smiled through his angst. The memory of that incident still burned vividly in his mind.

"Rhae'go!" Startled but the sudden shouting of his name, he turned to see Ihho standing at the doorway, large patches of dirt staining her clothes as she pulled off a hat. "Where were we?"

[To be continued]

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