Redsand Canyon I'm a woman, Mary. I can be as contrary as I choose.

Ruenna nodded. She believed that Malila hadn't meant to be disrespectful. She was just overwhelmed, and still adjusting. 

Malila wanted to know what it was like to be a wife. Ruenna smiled, and there was a hint of shyness in her expression. "Ah.. well, I can't speak to much experience. I haven't been a wife in Mereo all that long... Mereo is still young, as is my marriage to Germanicus." Maybe Malila was not aware of just how new everything was here in the canyon. 

"It will be up to us, as the first wives of Mereo, to set the precedent. This is an exciting thing," Ruenna assured Malila. "As a wife, you would have more time to pursue your interests and develop your skills with medicine and herbs. You would not have to work around the regimented schedule of a soldier." If Malila joined the auxilia, the free time she would have for her studies with Aquene would be limited-to-none.