Chapter 6: Triptych

She kept the house quiet for her mother's sake.

The children played outside. The twins, Myrtle and Mace. Linden, the tiniest one. They ran around in circles. They pretended to trip dramatically, doing a tumble-roll when they hit the grass.

Situated by the window, Ianthe Trotter had the perfect spot from which to watch their backyard games.

"Tea, mother?" Zinnia set the tea pot down on the end table beside Ianthe's chair. Knowing she wouldn't get an answer, she proceeded to pour it into her mother's cup. She handed it to her. "It's spearmint."

Ianthe clutched it close to her chest, the steam wafting over her face.

"One of the pigs is pregnant." She had to pick her conversation topics carefully. "Father says she'll yield a decent litter."

Ianthe didn't speak.

Zinnia continued, "our livestock's been improving. You should see it some time." She sipped from her cup, the taste of the lavender-hybrid washing down her throat. Having woken up later than she wanted, she'd missed her morning intake. "I'm considering making some curved shelters for them. Quonsets. I saw them in a magazine."

She smiled to herself. "I'm only hesitating because I know every pig and its mother will fight to get into the quonsets. You know how they are. They have to have the best of the best." Zinnia sighed. "I'm not sure the Diallos have enough metal to spare, though. They've got their own business to worry about, and it's not like they're swimming in wealth."

The Diallo family didn't give discounts. Their prices were their prices, and that was that. There may have been other alternatives in town—the Montcalms, for instance—but the drop in price tag came with a drop in quality. Zinnia didn't want to build the huts with rough, overly-worked steel. The pigs deserved better than that.

"Theres told me the quonsets were a good idea. Then she said she was sorry her father was being such a grumble goose about the prices." Zinnia said. "I told her it was okay. He only has so much time and steel. It's not like he has it out for us. We're not the problem."

A shriek rang out across the yard. Zinnia rushed to the window. Ianthe didn't move.

The kids erupted into a fit of giggles at their sister's face.

She turned away from them. "I don't know what's gotten into them today. I apologize on their account." Zinnia returned to where she'd been standing. She drank the rest of her tea, sharing her mother's silence.

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A/N: This is an interactive fantasy serial. Voting takes place on Thursdays through Sundays on the story's main site. The most up-to-date chapters can also be found there, but uploading will happen in parts on RRL as well.

The next post will be Chapter 6.2.

Chapter 11 is out now on the main site. This week, voting will end Monday at 11:59 PM EST due to special circumstances.