lazarus. feyd rautha

chapter six: the dinner party

KAITAIN, CORRINTH, 10,191

They're told to dress up for dinner, that usually household gatherings with the Fenring's are a intimate and casual affair but esteemed guests deserve celebration.

So she puts on one of her more flattering gowns before slipping out of the room. She recalls her steps with the housekeeper Yelen and works her way back to the main foyer. There the eldest daughter, Bethania is waiting staring down Jude, alleged half-brother who's background remains a mystery to her. She picks up on their dynamic immediately, the Fenring daughter doesn't bother sugarcoating it. She stands a few inches taller than him, arms crossed and head tilted in a amused manner with a terrible smirk across her face. She gave the impression of a girl who knew very well how beautiful and privileged she was, who had been rewarded her whole life without trying. Anastacia could not bring herself to resent this, it was a product of circumstance, she could not say she would act differently had she been raised in such an environment.

"I just remembered, I left my gift for the lord in the library, would you fetch it Judy?" Bethania said.

For a moment Jude looked as if he were about to object, until a little girl came running down the stairs, dragging behind her Farah, who stood out like a crown jewel in her deep blue dress.

"Bethy! Bethy! I dressed up Farah in one of your gowns! Look!" the little girl squealed with delight. Anastacia had a hard time seeing any of that bad influence Farah had said the child fell victim to.

"The colour is nice on her, though it does nothing for her figure. There's no remedying that I suppose," Bethania sighed as if this were a great tragedy, despite the fact that her body wasn't all that different from her sister's, she was only a bit taller and lacked some of her youthful plumpness. None of this took away from Farrah's beauty, but she understood that standards for appearance differed from planet to planet in various degrees of severity.

Bethania turned back to the boy. "Judy, the gift in the library, be quick about it."

"You're perfectly capable of getting it yourself, Beth. Or are your pains back? I didn't realize it was that far in the month-"

"Hold your tongue or you will lose it!" the older daughter snapped. Her cheeks blotted red with anger. To her defence it as improper to discuss a woman's menstruation in public. Farah only grinned, shrugging her little sister off her arm. She clutched Jude's and her own elbow, linking their arms and ushered them to follow her.

"I'll show you to the dining hall Ana."

She wondered what was keeping Feyd, but followed in suit, leaving the two sisters behind. By the sound of the little girl's casual giggles she surmised that petty exchanges like this must be a common occurrence.

"We're meant to wait for Margot!" Bethania called out. No one turned to respond. She realized that by being indifferent and allowing herself to be whisked off by Farah she might have put herself at odds with the other sister. But it should hardly matter, she was only meant to keep good relations with the heads of the house during her stay, and the Count was noticeably absent.

The dining table was small, perhaps the one used for family gatherings rather than balls and larger events. There were exactly eight chairs placed around it. A large glass vase of soft red flowers sat in the middle as a centrepiece. She recognized them as the Mourning Flowers, native to Lankiveil. If she remembers correctly, that was the planet the Baron's nephews were born on. A thoughtful gesture.

"You must sit between us or else you'll be at the mercy of my sisters. Lord," Farah sighed. "Your Harkonnen companion will be stuck with them but I'm certain he can manage a pair of annoying girls. I've heard much about him. It will be fun watching him keep his temper." She said all of this very quickly, talking a mile a minute.