Concert in Fekhoya

Today I attended the concert by Duchess Deritan in honor of the birth of Marcus, the newborn child of lord Utari Onzo and lady Lasai Raske.

The Duchess performed herself. I had no idea she was such an accomplished flutist!

The pieces she chose to perform with her Khanid bamboo flute for the first part of the concert were all quite energetic and upbeat, and also that was a surprise as I thought recent events must have sapped her energy. At least outwardly, this was not the case. Through her music, she appeared defiant against her competitors at the Khanid court.

The second part of the concert also contained songs that were softer and more evocative of beautiful, peaceful landscapes. It was as if, once the forceful statement was made to outsiders, now she turned to comfort her own people. It ended with a beautiful duet with lady Aselin-Duvaul, a classic piece, the "flower duet".

The concert was magnificent, but I have to admit I still do not feel comfortable with crowds. Certainly with all the decorum and with the nobility present I did not feel at ease at all. Also I was wearing my new ceremonial habit and it itches. My usual one has a hole at the elbow, so I couldn't use it. But mostly, it's the intricacies of nobility decorum that I'm afraid since I am unfamiliar with them and lack any intuition on what the proper hierarchy between the nobles would be.

I overheard Lord-Consort Newelle say that children should be kept out of places where the Chesm-Khan might drop in or drop a bomb, and it seemed to me (a common friar) rather insulting to the hostess and to the guests of honor. Was it proper or not? Probably that depends on the hierarchy and is not clear to me, but it made me ill at ease.

Anyway, I was glad to see Ishta appear. She was late, as always. But all is forgiven, she has passed for her final capsuleer tests! I heard through the grapevine that she was also accepted as a member of SFRIM. I'm not sure if Lord Pitorjee has freed her from bondage, but I am confident that if it hasn't happened already, it will soon.

Ah, I kept the best news for last. Lady Zeresh, reknowned for her expertise in cybernetics and daugther of a famous cyberphysician, agreed to help me with the transplants when I have the clone. These social events have their advantages, even if I feel uncomfortable, they do advance my cause.