Spinning Yarn

Requiem of the Moth S02 C08

Content warnings¹

Honourable Vessi,

We hope you have been in good health since our last meeting one yarn² ago. We regret to approach you in this matter in writing, rather more official and cold than we would have liked. However, we feel that you have left us no other choice.

We had hoped the shares as well as the northern mines would pass into our hands soon after our last meeting and regret to admit that we have been waiting in vain for further notice from you. It is hoped that that is merely due to administrative delay or academic troubles rather than any significant issue with handing over the promised assets. When one has been delayed as often as we have, one starts to wonder.

As the season has all but passed, we mourn the losses incurred by that delay but hope to come to a renewed agreement that might make up for our monetary losses as well as our damaged trust in the treasury. We suggest you pick one of the dates listed below.

Should you keep us waiting any longer, we shall be forced to resort to more extreme measures. Be warned that the support we gave in exchange for the mentioned assets can easily be withdrawn.

We endeavor to see the treasury run in a way that benefits all of our clan, not just a privileged few.

Respectfully,
Lisith,
and Cress

---

"I only want to help Lien and the other afflicted," Usira pleads.

"There is nothing you or your lot can do to improve our situation. On the contrary, your actions have brought us nothing but misery," Yulie hisses.

"That is because…"

"I have heard enough!"

Sighing, Yun combs back ivory hair that keeps falling into his eyes. They are standing in a corner of the deserted and dim reception hall that Yulie has dragged Usira, presumably to avoid a public spectacle for the servants. Yun has no idea how long the moth catcher, in fine lavender robes with his white hair tightly braided, has been trying to explain himself to the Caxian head. When he heard familiar voices from the corridor, he ignored the protests of the house servant and found them in heated discussion.

"This is exactly the matter which I have been called upon to mediate, is it not, Lady Yulie?" he asks.

Reluctantly, she turns away from Usira. One might almost think she is enjoying herself. "Indeed, that is correct. I apologise for my lack of hospitality, honourable Vessi. Let me show you to more agreeable quarters before I ask your advice."

The servant has been waiting outside the hall and leads them up a long spiral staircase. When they finally reach the rooftop platform, both Yun and Usira are out of breath. Yulie smiles. "I do apologise for the exertion. Personally, I rather enjoy the exercise and this space is both warmer and more private than my office downstairs."

The platform is furnished with benches, placed to admire a sizeable collection of statues: vines, apple trees, and decadent orchids frozen into marble, iron, and bronze. At Yulie's invitation, they take seats around a wrought iron brazier. Caxian is not wealthy enough to keep wood or fireplaces. Despite himself, Yun wonders how Usira sees this particular clan, if he lumps Yulie and her statues in with him and every other mansion-dweller. If there are degrees to his contempt for nobles.

Yulie has not spoken another word to Usira but tea is nevertheless served in three cups.

"How is Lien? I understand it has been a trying time for all of you," Yun asks after the first sip. The tea is spicy, selected to warm the body in sparsely heated rooms.

"Her recovery has been slow but she can sit up and hold conversations for more than one stalactite drip now, thank the Deep."

"And how has the investigation progressed prior to my involvement?"

He directs the question to Usira but it is Yulie who answers first. "There has been lamentable little progress. His lot has been wasting my time with unfounded claims of innocence. Even if they brought real evidence, which they haven't so far, I am not inclined to believe another word out of their mouth."

"Is this true?" Yun asks Usira.

"With all due respect, I have been trying to present evidence but have not been given the chance. The servants have been instructed to turn us away at the door."

"To guard against further poisoning attempts!"

"If only you would let me explain…" Usira's stance and voice reveal the long-suffering victim of a debate who has tried to explain themselves countless time and fallen on deaf ears.

Yun lifts a hand before Yulie's temper can flare up again. "Whether he has something of value to say or not, Lady Yulie, I would question him in private. You do not have to subject yourself to his claims any longer."

"Honourable Vessi…" Usira trails off. Whether he is protesting or going along with the plan, Yun is grateful for it.

Yulie glances at Usira, then back at him. It is a narrow ledge Yun is balancing with that request—praying to the Deep that she isn't the type to gossip or listen to rumours. Finally, she nods. "Your reputation precedes you. It seems that you have always been discreet and impartial, the best qualities for any Vessi serving the city. It is why I invited you and why I hope you will be able to identify the culprit for us. Do what you will. My secretary will wait at the bottom of the stairs and provide you with anything else you shall require of us."

She leaves them among the statues, ignoring Usira.

Yun looks at him in question: Tell me.

"I am very well, thank you. As usual, our expedition was completed without a hitch."

Sarcasm from the one who declared he wouldn't leave me be? Yun is tempted to ask but distracted by the oilskin-wrapped moth pupae that Usira unwraps on the ornate iron table. Even accounting for the deep state of decay they are in, the colouring and reek are overwhelming. Lifting one sleeve to his face, Yun grinds out: "How do you estimate the plague risk?"

Usira shrugs. "The infection had spread across the area and even got some swallows nesting in the nearby wall. Not excessively contagious but strong enough to take out medium-sized birds, which explains why we are affected by it as well."

"You don't think the cinnamon they were prepared with augmented the effect?"

"We can't be sure but no, probably not." Usira deliberates. "Also, the parasite might be too weak to survive in adult moth specimens. We've only found pupae so far."

It gets birds but not adult moths? Yun frowns but pushes the thought aside. If the famed moth catcher judges the parasite to be too weak, it probably is. Determined, he takes the oilskin and wraps the evidence. "Thank you. This is something solid I can show Yulie. Convince her you're doing your best to get to the bottom of this."

"Would you?" Oh, the way Usira looks at him… It does something to Yun's belly that he doesn't want to think about. It's raw hope but also something else.

"I will do what I can."

He sees the disappointment and thinks: You of all people should understand why I avoid promises. That diplomacy is one of the few weapons left to me. He thinks of Zhiva and Zhiven. If Ulan can disable his puppets with a mere snap of her fingers, the rest of Ithreyesh probably shares her talent.

Before he leaves, Usira touches his hand. "I trust you."

Yun freezes. Don't.

But Usira is gone. After emptying his tea—pulling himself together, which takes longer than he cares to admit—, Yun sends for the secretary and requests a specific set of ledgers. It is time to investigate what he came for.

Author Notes

There is a fine line between courage and stupidity. Do you think Usira is being clever or just stupid, putting his trust into Yun yet again? He has already been burned once—badly.

Once I knew an exceptional strategist, a natural at games like chess and go. When we played strategy games, I would sometimes make a random move, with little to no thinking involved, just to throw him off-balance. I couldn’t think five moves ahead and account for all possibilities like he could. Instead, I tried to baffle him into making mistakes. (It only worked once or twice before he caught on to it.) I like to imagine that this is what Usira is trying with Yun here. Yun wanted to push Usira away and doesn’t expect Usira to trust him again. When Usira says I trust you, it throws Yun off his game. Yun is very sharp and he knows it but in some respects, he still has much to learn³.

On another note, you might have noticed that these characters have a different way of telling time—after all, an underground civilisation cannot be expected to look to the sun and moon to regulate their daily life! Stalactite drips are hours, stalagmite drips are minutes. Both can be shortened to drips, it is understood from context whether the stalactite or stalagmite variety. These are easy. One week, however, is one twist, and one month is one yarn.

With fictional cultures, one central idea can influence and inspire many other aspects. For the Sedrivar method of telling time underground, I took inspiration from this Reddit post. Silk production, of course, is the Sedrivar’s chief industry so it would only make sense that they measure time by some of its processes. Realistically, their units of time would not be exactly equivalent to our weeks and months but for the sake of this story, an easy-to-explain equivalent is best.

Do you know of any other unique methods of telling time, whether fictional or real? Let me know in the comments!

1. Moths, disease (mild)

2. Sedrvassa term for telling time, roughly equivalent to one month

3. Something we have in common