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

Assistant to the medic, gardening, scouting... Malila's ambitions were all over the place, and none of them related directly with the paths that Ruenna had presented to her. 

"You will need to pursue the paths that I've outlined," Ruenna voiced, sticking firm to her prior decision. Malila seemed to sense how much Ruenna wanted to help her, and Rue wondered if this was why she thought she could manipulate the situation to change the expectation. "By the end of three months, you will need to have chosen one path or the other, wife or soldier. That is the only way I can guarantee you a place in Mereo after the thaw." These other pursuits-- assisting Aquene, gardening, exploring.. these were the past-times of a wife. If Malila planned to spend her time on such things, she had better make sure she was also getting to know the men of Mereo. 

Malila insisted that she was open to the idea of being a wife, but Ruenna wondered if this was really true. By voicing that she would wait to see if anyone caught her eye, it sounded like she was setting herself up to be overly-picky, and ultimately "fail" to find a husband. 

"I would like you to speak with at least two of the unmarried men and get to know them. Then, come back to me and tell me what you think of them, and what you have learned. When you have done this, then I will hear more about your ideas for a garden." Ruenna hoped she was being clear-- Malila needed to take direct, intentional steps to become a wife to one of the soldiers, or else her lessons, her garden, whatever other ways to pass her time she could dream up-- all of that would be lost to her.