Judith Slays Holofernes, Pt IV

Today was a bit of a busy day for me, so writing got done during nap time.

I'm running into a problem with names.  You see, the name "Judith" essentially means "Jewess", so I'd thought to play with that by having my Watcher-narrator only ever refer to her charge as "the Jewess" (this going hand-in-hand with her initial prejudice against Judaeans), but to be frank it's getting awkward and weird.  I'll keep going with it, for now, but I need to figured out a better way to do what I'm trying to do.

***

We could not have timed our arrival better had we tried.

Our small caravan rolled up to the gates not long before sunset, and after the proper documentation was provided, we were ushered into what seemed a city-wide celebration.  This Manasseh must be influential, indeed, to have so many lay aside their work for a day of revelry, merely to celebrate his wedding day. The air was thick with the smell of spices, incense, and honey, and everywhere I looked (for I did look, from between the cracks in the curtain) I saw people laughing, singing, and dancing.  I will admit, there is a certain appeal to the style of song these desert folk engage in- a way of bringing their voices together into a greater whole.  Perhaps there will be some culture to study here, after all.

I got my first glimpse of the Jewess when I was presented to her at the wedding feast: dressed in expensive fabrics; dripping in gold and jewels; hair oiled and styled elaborately; she was undeniably beautiful.  I searched her face- trying not to appear too bold- to see if there was any hint of wit or cunning, two traits I feel are essential to a Slayer’s survival beyond the first month- but she was gilded with so many paints that it was hard to get a true sense of her, beyond her youth.  She did smile at me, and spoke quite a pretty thank you to my “handler”, before Manasseh directed that I be taken back to the house, where I might partake in the servants’ feast.

The food was a surprise.  I had braced myself for a table of unfamiliar dishes of questionable preparation, but I must be strictly honest in these Diaries and the honest truth is that except for the lack of pork I quite enjoyed the meal.