lloia darted into the dining room. Tom had a meeting, and she had training in a few minutes, so she had to catch a quick bite on her own. She grabbed some food from the buffet and looked around, why, there was Marja! She rushed over and sat her tray down, rushing through a quick prayer.
But when she lifted her head she saw that Marja had her head down and, were her eyes red… “Marja? Is everything OK?”
“I’m fine,” Marja said, which was a flat out lie as she was literally crying.
“What’s wrong? Is it your husband?” Illoia remembered the slap and tried to imagine what that would mean for… “Is he too rough in bed?”
Marja looked up, startled, and hiccuped a couple of times and dried her eyes. “What? No, I mean… I wouldn’t want… I mean, I like how he is in bed,” she finished, awkwardly.
“What is it then?”
“Oh, you know, maybe you don’t know, but we didn’t get a room like you did. We were too late. We got a dorm.”
“Oh, my.”
“I know I shouldn’t complain, but you know we live in the country. We have a very large house, and since several of my siblings moved out, married and all, I am used to having a very large room all to myself. So waking up, well, not waking up but as soon as we open the privacy divider… a whole room full of people, all talking, all staring… not badly, not rudely or anything but we have no privacy. The smells!”
“They’re all so good about it, they wipe down their beds very regularly, and the children play very nicely… but they are children so they will make noise!”
“Oh, my poor dear. I can’t imagine. Feel free to come by our cabin when you need some peace. As long as Tom isn’t there,” she clarified.
“That’s very nice of you, but I really couldn’t. I mean, I have it to do. I have to get used to it, and get to know the people. It isn’t that they aren’t nice but, its just…”
“Noisy,” Illoia concluded.
“And smelly,” Marja agreed.
Illoia suddenly realised she only had a few minutes to eat and started bolting her food. She noticed Marja staring and blushed.
“I have training in a few minutes and since I started I have been sooo hungry.
Marja grinned, “It’s just so unlike you. I remember the first time I saw you. It was at that first dinner, and you were sitting up with the captain, and you had that aquamarine dress on and, oh, I was so… scared? No, that’s not right.”
Illoia paused in mid chew, “Well, we’re on an equal footing now. I didn’t bring one of those dresses. Not even one. And I’m exhausted all the time.” She took another bite, “And hungry all the time.”
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Von