She yearned to ask him about the book and the weeds, but didn't dare. She passed him and went to the resting room, where she occupied a chair for an hour, blankly pondering the tottering of her universe.
At last she stood up. She was a gentrywoman, she had guts in her belly. Why shouldn't she ask her father questions? Before she could think about it and grow scared, she went searching, and ran across her sister Jann.
Jann was twenty-four, a tall ash-blonde woman with snaky amber eyes and pointed ears who lorded it over the household.
"Have you seen Ewyo?"
"He's in the private room."
She headed for it, and Jann ran to catch at her arm. "You can't disturb him there!"
"I've been in it before."
Jann clawed at her. "You haven't! Even I was only there once...."
"Even you. My, my." Nirea walked on, Jann tugging at her futilely. "I have to talk to him."
"Stop! Damn you, you whelp, you can't—"