Two Crows Watch from the Gallows Tree (part 18)

Rickard was visibly cringing at Jerica's verbal onslaught toward Ash, glancing between her and Rek to see if Rek would intervene.
"He does have a wife," Sera pointed out. "He has someone he can lean on for that sort of thing. He's just...not inclined to be particularly forward with anyone else. He keeps his business and his feelings to himself and people he trusts....which are a rare few."

Rek was cringing too, and kicking himself for not riding his horse in the middle of them to be able to physically intervene. Jerica was clearly in one of her moods.

"I'd ask why, but let me guess it's just going to be a vague non-answer that dances around the subject like everything else up here, huh?" Jerica said, undeterred.

Ky was very carefully staying out of this entirely. So were Akeno and Kieran, riding behind and looking anywhere but where they might accidentally make eye contact with someone.

Sera had been maintaining a pleasant tone up until now, and her face remained the same as she sat up a bit straighter in her saddle. "I'll be frank, if you like," she said. "Trust has been an issue for Gaius since he was very, very small. His brother was the sort of person who provided an illusion of kindness time and time again and delighted in tearing it down. His father provided none of the warmth one would expect from a parent. His mother thought of him as less-than. The few friends he made quickly abandoned him when they discovered the monstrosity Michael was. The older Gaius got, the more life told him not to trust people. And the few that he opened up to have steadfastly refused to be anything like the others. They stand by him and they are honest with him. But, honestly, Lieutenant, that's absolutely none of your business." She took a breath. "We're a private people by nature up here, it's true, but some things remain personal across cultures, don't you think?"

Jerica was finding it hard to maintain eye contact now and felt a slight blush creeping into her face by the time Sera finished her speech. She'd expected resistance, not a lecture. And now she was uncomfortable with the way that the conversation had turned. It wasn't her business. Not even a little bit. And she didn't have the first idea how to respond. She glanced at Rek for help.

He met her gaze and snorted. She was on her own. He'd told her to shut up -- she could clean this mess herself. "All you."

She blushed a bit more, then glanced at Sera, then away again. "... yes...I ... suppose you're... correct." She cleared her throat, not sure how to... fix this. She wasn't good at talking. Not in a way that soothed tempers rather than provoked them. She was embarrassed.

"Yes, I suppose I am." Sera let out a small huff, red in the cheeks, and glanced toward Rickard. Rickard had been watching her with wide eyes but looked away the moment she made eye contact with him, blushing.

Jerica glanced over at her, then away again, more heat creeping into her face. She should apologize. But she was too prideful for that. And yet the silence was hard to stomach. Especially when she knew she was the reason for the sour tempers. "... for whatever it's worth, I don't dislike him." She realized that didn't come out as much of a compliment as she'd meant it and she wasn't sure if Sera would recognize it for what it was or not. "... That's not what I meant, if that's how it came across."

"It wasn't," she replied. "It only came across as ignorant. I'm sure you'll correct yourself in the future."

Jerica wrinkled her nose and glanced away, blushing a bit more. She didn't enjoy that scolding. And yet she had no room to argue. What was she going to do -- announce that she'd learned nothing and was going to make the same transgression again? Of course not. And yet she couldn't very well agree with a statement like that while saving face.

Rickard looked over toward Jerica, trying to catch her eye.

Jerica hadn't meant to look at him, but the motion in her peripheral vision caught her attention and she glanced over at him quickly.

He gave her a sympathetic smile and a little shrug.

She tried to return the smile, but it ended up just being a twitchy grimace before she glanced away again, even more embarrassed than before. Great. Now she was making an ass of herself in front of her childhood hero. Now he knew how terrible she'd grown up to be. Wonderful. "Are we almost there?"

"Nearly," Bay replied from up front. "Another couple minutes."

"Good." She picked lint off her furs, giving herself something to focus on other than how uncomfortable she was.

Ky risked a glance up, surprised to see that even Bold Ms. Governor's Assassin could be shamed. She didn't think that was possible. Apparently, Sera could make everyone feel gods-awful about themselves if they dared critique anything about this place. Even a walking ego. Incredible. Terrifying.

They entered the village a few minutes later, and Bay dismounted. Sera followed suit.