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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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 Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 5:04 pm
People tended to underestimate how quickly news could travel in the Lower Caverns. Either that or they overestimated it. But the Lower Caverns had been quick to learn of the quarantine that had been put in place in the dining hall and kitchen, and after everything was sorted out, they knew almost as soon as the weyrlings did that they would be going to another Weyr somewhere. Some place most of them had never given any thought to. Ghenzo? And they would be staying there until it was deemed safe for them to return. They were protecting Amelia and Sharath. Others would be allowed to transfer as well, it seemed.
Tanda, who liked to keep well aware of what was going on through the grapevine, had learned very quickly that she would be losing her little brother temporarily and was glad to learn it. She was somewhat less pleased to learn that she would be left to care for his firelizard in his absence, as this Ghenzo place didn't tolerate them. She was even less happy to learn that Jericho had decided to try his luck in this other place. It was infuriating! She'd gone to all that work to get close to him, and now he was just going to leave.
Oh, she understood that he had to do what he thought was right for himself, but that didn't keep her from being miffed all the same. He was a nice young man, sure, and she enjoyed his company for that reason, but what she'd been after really were his good looks and apparent intelligence. Despite the fact that everyone in her family seemed to have children with blonds, the Igen blood was persistent. She didn't care so much about that, really, though she did admire Jericho's curling blond locks. In any event, she didn't want him leaving without at least sleeping with her once.
Finding him would be simple enough. Holding B'shir's green firelizard in her arms she made her way to the candidate dormitory where he would probably be packing whatever belongings he'd brought to the Weyr. She found him there, along with a few others who were lazing about. She sent them elsewhere with the same look she used on her young charges. Only then did she relax, leaning one shoulder against the door frame and putting one hand on her cocked hip. She'd dressed for the occasion in a dark burgundy dress that fit tightly where it was supposed to and flowed well when she moved, but was not at all constricting.
Nevertheless, she checked to make sure everything was where it should be and that Shibra was content where she was, draped over one shoulder. Only then did she sigh pointedly, drawing attention to herself.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 9:57 am
Jericho's back was to the door as he collected all his things, making sure that everything was there before he began folding them up. Several of the other candidates were doing the same. He left a few things out that he might need before they officially left.
He had to admit, he felt a little cowardly, leaving High Reaches just as the plague reared its ugly head, leaving behind others who couldn't, or wouldn't, leave. That wasn't the whole reason he was leaving though. Even if the plague hadn't cropped up, and this same opportunity had cropped up, he still would have gone. Ghenza, he had heard, was an independent Weyr, although it was mostly a hold with dragons apparently. Supposedly everyone there worked their craft, even the candidates, and that was what he was really looking forward to. Being a candidate here at he Weyr had become increasingly boring lately. He'd been here nearly two months now and doing menial chores all the time, while attending a few classes, was almost mind numbing for the man. He would miss the people here, certainly, but...Ghenza would be good for him, he felt. He'd be able to work his craft again, and that was something that excited him. He had specialized in boat building, but like every other boy in the craft, he had had to learn the aspects of all the others before becoming a journeyman.
It was during these musings that he suddenly realized that the room was empty except for him, making him look around in surprise. Where had everyone gone to?
A quiet cough from the door caught his attention and he turned around "Tanda?" he said, a little surprised. She had never come all the way to the candidate barracks to find him before "Are you the reason the boys all fled the coop?" he asked laughingly as he approached her, unable to help but notice how...fantastic she looked in her new dress.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:14 pm
Tanda told Shibra firmly to behave. She wasn't as used to giving mental commands as B'shir, but she'd spent some time with Rath in her childhood, and one didn't totally lose the ability. She'd been practicing since B'shir came by the day before and explained that he couldn't take the 'lizard with him to the new Weyr, and could she please look after her? Maddening things, younger brothers.
"Hey," she replied, a little distracted by Shibra. The green was still wondering about B'shir and Sakneth. After looking around the empty room Tanda smirked. "I must be. Funny. I hadn't realized I was so terrifying."
Then she shrugged with one shoulder, the one Shibra wasn't sitting on, and continued, "Ah well. I've known you were leaving for some time, and I've just been waiting for you to mention it, but since you didn't actually tell me yourself, and time is growing short, I was forced to come looking for you. Now I find myself wondering if you had planned to leave without saying goodbye to anyone, or if it was just me."
In truth, she wasn't as hurt as she sounded, but at this point she wasn't really concerned about how Jericho felt about her tomorrow. She just needed him to feel a certain way about her for one night - this one - and then he could feel whatever he wanted.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 8:53 am
Jericho left what he was doing and moved towards the woman, smiling "Hey, I wouldn't have left without saying goodbye. Just what kind of person do you think I am?" he asked with a mock disappointed frown.
"Things have just been hectic, what with all the last minute prep to do." he said with a sigh. "I did try and drop by the creche one time, but that older woman you worked with was at the door and wouldn't let me in. She said you weren't there." He grimaced. He had been quite certain that Tanda was in fact there, but he had a feeling that his previous 'kidnapping' of Tanda hadn't won him any points with the older creche worker.
The man raised his eyebrows then as he realized that the green on Tanda's dress wasn't fabric, but a firelizard, and an older one at that. "Since when you you have a firelizard?" he asked curiously as he looked at the little green with some curiosity. The reason occurred to him before she had a chance to answer though "Ah, its your brother's, isn't it? I had heard that Ghenza had a pretty strict 'no firelizards' rule. I'm rather glad I don't have one now." he mused, thinking of how many times he had thought how helpful having one would be. It would be terrible to have to leave it behind now and not have the chance to see it again for a long period of time.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 5:09 pm
Tanda's gaze dropped to the floor and then she looked up at him through her eyelashes. Not that she could really see him through her eyelashes. Dark, thick eyelashes weren't really conducive to seeing, but they were particularly effective for looking appealing.
"I don't know. How am I to know you're not one of those men who can't abide saying goodbye and so just leaves?" She wrapped her arms around herself in a fairly universal small-and-sad pose that just happened to push her breasts together and upward. The low-cut bodice made it even more effective than usual.
She ignored his story of trying to see her in the creche. She believed it, of course, for she knew what her coworker was like, but it didn't suit her purposes to admit that. All she said on the subject was, "Of course." She said it very quietly, like someone who knew they were being misled and accepted it because they didn't expect anything else or want to start a fight.
When he asked about the firelizard, Tanda was thrown off her purpose momentarily. She hadn't really had an elaborate plan in mind coming here. All she was looking for was a night in the furs. A long, enjoyable night in the furs, but nothing more than that. She'd never wanted much more than that. That she enjoyed spending time with him otherwise was a nice bonus, but that's all it was: a bonus.
"I suppose. Why don't you tell me what else you know about Ghenza? I made you dinner." Well. She'd flirted with one of the cooks until he agreed to make her a dinner for two. It had been a tricky task that she'd enjoyed a good deal.
She rewarded him with a hopeful smile and held out one hand, "Come on. Let's not part on bad terms."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 5:28 am
Jericho raised his eyebrows. Yep, she was definitely up to something...Tanda never acted meek or frail except to tease...or if she wanted something. Well, he'd play along for now and see just what she had in mind. Having her act like the injured damsel was rather amusing, he had to admit.
"Come on, Tanda, you know I'm not like that." he said, taking her arm and leading her out of the candidate barracks and back towards the main part of the Weyr "And how can we part on bad terms if its not even time to leave yet?" he mused aloud, looking at her with one eyebrow raised, letting her know that he was someone suspicious with all this injured behavior of hers.
And she had cooked a dinner for two? That set off some definite bells. Still, they were friends, perhaps she really was just sad to see him go. "Dinner sounds great. I haven't eaten since noon." he said, leading her towards the lower caverns, though she would have to take it from there since he didn't know where she had set up said dinner.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 8:25 am
Tanda wasn't stupid. She could see that Jericho was not responding as well to her distressed act as she had hoped. That happened sometimes. There was a part of her that liked very much to pretend and play a role, even when it was unnecessary. It added drama to an existence that was usually drama-free. But it wasn't so much fun that she would lose sight of the real goal. So she switched tactics.
It was a natural thing for Tanda to let her hand slide to the crook of Jericho's elbow, which was a more comfortable place for her to hold onto him. She smiled up at him.
"I do," she admitted. "But it was fun to see if you'd squirm. I really did arrange dinner, though. I thought you might be too busy to come find me. I'd no idea you wouldn't be eating. Thank goodness I did think to arrange dinner."
She pulled a nifty trick, guiding him while letting him lead. She had a room of her own, and that's where she'd set everything up. She'd never taken him to her room before, deeming it someplace that wouldn't interest him. There was little to no chance he wouldn't guess what she was about at this point. Ah well. As long as he agreed to it, she could live with not being a mystery.
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 9:11 am
Ah, much better. At least she was acting like herself again. "Well, its a good thing you're around to make sure a poor candidate doesn't go hungry." he said with an amused smile down at the lovely woman on his arm. A dinner for two, though...and in her room? Not in the dining hall? A slight jolt of energy shot down his spine as he came to a realization. Did she want him in her bed? He looked at her again, pushing his surprise to the back of his mind so he could keep a straight face, as though looking at her might confirm or deny his suspicions. If that was true though, then why him? Tanda was a good looking woman, she could have any number of men, no doubt. She probably did, not that he pried into her, or anyone's, life like that. The Weyr was different from his home Hold after all. Sex outside of matrimony was common, even expected here. He had turned down several young women seeking his 'company', at first it was because the idea had made him extremely uncomfortable, and later because it was generally frowned upon for candidates. Then again, most candidates were turns younger than he was...and he was leaving in a day or two anyways...
Jericho shook himself mentally. He was getting way ahead of himself. After all, that might be the last thing on her mind. They were friends, perhaps she was just sad to see him go and wanted to have a nice time tonight, after all, it might be the last time he ever saw her...
Her little performance at being hurt came back to him though, and he began to doubt that, if only a little. As they walked through the halls, Jericho placed his other hand on top of hers where it rested on his arm. If she pulled away, then obviously she wasn't looking for any physical favors. If not...well...they'd get to that he supposed.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:00 am
"Lucky you," Tanda agreed. "Whatever will you do without me around to see that your needs are seen to?"
She was back to teasing him. It was what he would expect from her, and it was easier for her than playing the demure ingenue. No one would really mistake her for that at this point in her life. Most people who knew her knew she liked to tease people, enjoyed the back and forth of conversation moving at a lively, congenial pace. Certainly, she had mothering instincts that just wouldn't quit, but there was definitely leeway for teasing in motherhood. She thought it was probably better for children than a strict, humorless upbringing. After all, she'd seen first-hand how well that had worked out for B'shir.
Shibra chirped when Tanda's thoughts strayed toward her brother. For all that she was a green, and they were reputed not to be very clever, Shibra had grasped fairly quickly that she would be staying with Tanda from now on and that she would have to learn to follow Tanda's thoughts. The chirp startled Tanda, who'd managed to forget that Shibra was there. She would have thought something like Go Away, at her, but she had no idea where that would send the green firelizard. So she just made do.
And evidently Jericho hadn't been bothered by Shibra's contribution to the conversation. She glanced away briefly when his hand covered hers so that she could smile triumphantly without Jericho catching her in the act. It was only a brief glance away, and then she squeezed his forearm gently where his hand covered hers. She used her free hand to open the door to her room.
"I know it's tiny," she said with a smile. "But It's all mine. You have no idea the wars that went on for me to get this place, privacy being one of those commodities always in demand here."
Despite its small size, the room had been set up to make a dinner for two possible. Her bedside table had been converted into and actual table and a chair had been moved to its other side. Someone would have to sit on her bed. Tanda still wasn't sure if she wanted that person to be herself or Jericho. There were benefits either way, but it would certainly be easier to get him into her bed if he was already sitting on it...
"I hope you won't mind if I take the chair. It's a little...unstable, and there's not actually enough room in here for you to break it safely." Which was true. If Jericho did manage to break the chair, it would collapse more or less in place and he'd probably end up with a chair leg up his arse.
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:17 am
"I don't know. I suppose I'll just starve." he said with a forlorn look that would put a hungry puppy to shame. It quickly disappeared when they finally came to her room though, and he looked around the small, but tidy, space with interest.
"I don't doubt that." he remarked when she spoke of the difficulties she had gone through to get her own room. Those were generally given as priority to the higher ups. He was surprised a mere creche worker had managed to get one. It spoke for her tenacity if nothing else, he thought, bemused.
Jericho returned the smile she gave him when she squeezed his arm in return, even as the green flit on her shoulder chirped. Okay, so definitely not just a friendly dinner then...something that was further emphasized when she told him he could sit on the bed. He wasn't entirely sure she wasn't just making up the bit about the chair, but then again, if she wasn't that could definitely hurt...Seeing no other real option, he slid onto the bed, which was luckily high enough that it wouldn't make eating at the small table awkward. Looking around the room again, from the new angle, he then turned and smiled at her "It's a nice room. You're lucky to have gotten it." He was certainly in earnest. Back at Tillek, as a journeyman shipcrafter he had had his own sleeping room, and being downgraded from that to the candidate barracks had taken a bit of getting used too again.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 10:58 am
Tanda grinned at Jericho's forlorn look. Those didn't work on her. She dealt with children all day, and their eyes were larger than any adult's could hope to be. Besides, he was taller than her. It sort of messed up the effect when you were looking down at the person you were trying to impress with your forlornity. But she could appreciate his attempt, even while remaining unsympathetic to his plight.
"Seriously, it was an ugly campaign. Fortunately, I'm a third-generation weyrbrat, and that has some weight." So did her willingness to sleep around, but she had no plans to go into that tonight. Or ever.
"Sorry. I don't often eat in here, and when I do it's rarely with company," Tanda explained as she perched carefully on the edge of her chair. "Wine?"
She was already reaching for the wineskin and cups as she directed the question to Jericho. The asking was really just a formality. Besides, she knew few people who turned down wine. "You know I have no taste, so I apologize if it's horrible, but I was told it would go well with the meal." In other words, part of her flirting had managed to persuade the cook to find her a suitable vintage.
The meal wasn't particularly fancy, but considering Tanda had made no bones about the fact she planned to take credit for making it, that was fine. No one really expected her to be much of a cook, since she spent all of her time in the creche, even as a youngster. So meat, tubers, and some greens. Bubbly pies for dessert. They'd probably be cool by the time they got to them, but there were worse things than cool bubbly pies.
"So, aren't you supposed to be telling me all about Ghenza?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 6:14 pm
"Absolutely." Jericho said to her offer of wine, handing her his cup to make it easier for her to pour. After she did so, he took the cup back and took a sip, letting the taste roll around his mouth before swallowing "Mm, this is quite good." he said, taking a larger sip this time, looking at her over the rim of his cup, then smiled.
"Ah, of course, Ghenza." He said as he put his cup down on the table, sitting up a bit straighter "Well, I don't know all that much more than everyone else, I'm sure, but maybe I can tell you something new." he said, pausing to take a bite of food before he continued, nodding in appreciation of the well cooked meal "Well, like B'shir no doubt informed you," he said, nodding towrds the little green flit still on Tanda's shoulder "They don't allow firelizards, because apparently they're not worth keeping around." the man seemed bemused by this idea "They don't do any unique jobs apparently, so they can't earn their keep, according to Ghenza." Apparently they didn't count the emotional support and message delivering for much. "Wher's are very popular there instead. They are very useful for heavy work and the like, or so I'm told. Also, their dragons tend to be larger than ones in other Weyr's, smarter too." Jericho looked as though he didn't put a whole lot of faith in this little tidbit, especially the part about them being smarter. He could maybe believe them to be larger, especially after seeing how enormous their senior queen was when she first arrived.
"Hmmm...what else..." he said, taking a minute to eat so that his food didn't go cold with all the conversation.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 6:43 am
Tanda didn't eat much. It wasn't that she was making an attempt at daintiness, really, but she was aware of how little time she had left, and it was occupying her thoughts more or less completely. Not to the point where she would look distracted, she hoped, but definitely to the point where the idea of eating was difficult. The food didn't look like food to her, and when she put it in her mouth her chewing was mechanical. It didn't taste like food to her, either, which was really too bad. It had done a very good job of impersonating food earlier. She sipped her wine instead. At least that she didn't expect to taste special to her one way or the other.
"B'shir actually told me next to nothing about Ghenza, except that he couldn't take Shibra with him. What I know, I've heard through gossip, and we both know how reliable that is." She smiled conspiratorially at him.
"You could tell me why you're going there, perhaps," Tanda suggested. "It doesn't really seem like a place that most of us Pernese would choose to go."
She was actually curious about that. She could understand why her brother and those who had Impressed with him were going, but she wasn't sure why anyone else would go. They couldn't honestly think they'd be allowed to Impress a dragon there and return. No Weyr she knew of would allow that sort of theft.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 9:51 am
Jerich chuckled slightly. Gossip was certainly somewhat lacking in the trustworthy department. He had heard some pretty absurd things through the grapevine lately, and he didn't even live in the lower caverns like Tanda did. Most people seemed to gossip as much as they breathed, if not more.
"Why I'm going..." Jericho said thoughtfully, pausing in his eating and turning his gaze to meet Tanda's.
"Well, to be completely honest...I've been bored." he said with unusual bluntness, though he hurried on after a moment "Not with you, mind, or the few other friends I've made here but..." he shrugged a little helplessly "they can only help so much. Moving to Ghenza means that not only will I have the chance to impress, but in the meantime, I'll be able to go back to working my craft." He looked a little brighter at this thought "Most of the other candidates are still young, just kids. If they were in a craft, then they were only apprentices at best, for the most part. When I became a candidate, I had been a journeyman for a few years already, very independant. To suddenly be so far down on the scale again has taken...getting used to." he said with a laugh "I can put up with having to share a room, and not having as many privelages as I used to, but being forced to perform menial tasks all day every day has certainly worn on me." he admitted with a small smile "Gven the chance to impress, i could put up with it, but now that Ghenza is open to outsiders, I don't have to. I can get the best of both worlds now, be a candidate and be a shipcrafter. I'd be lying if I said i wasn't looking forward to it." he said with a small chuckle, pausing to take an appreciative sip of his wine.
"I know that if I impress, I'll have to stay there, and that things will be hard since Ghenzans are somewhat...less than friendly to outsiders...but I'll manage." he said with a grin, which lessened just a tad as he looked at her and added "I will miss my friend's here though."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 1:32 pm
He was leaving because he was bored? Suddenly any remorse Tanda might have felt about manipulating Jericho into sleeping with her dissipated. They were both selfish beings after all. After all, he was waiting around in hopes of Impressing a dragon and couldn't even stand to be bored a little bit? Not that she couldn't understand what he meant. It would probably be a colossal and probably difficult change to go from being a journeyman crafter to a source of free menial labor. But that didn't mean she couldn't also twist her perceptions to suit herself.
"Oh, of course not with me," she answered in a knowing tone that was also teasing. "Not to my face, anyway. Right?"
She still wasn't sure that he'd have much opportunity to practice his craft, though. Eyes wide and innocent so that her question might come across as less offensive, Tanda asked, "From what I understand Ghenza is landlocked. What use would they have for a man who can design ships?"
That last bit was an interesting bit of news. If he Impressed, he'd have to stay? Well, she supposed it wasn't really a surprise, since no Weyr would like it if all of its dragons were taken elsewhere as soon as they were old enough, but it did make her want to squirm a little with pleasure. There were so many possibilities that opened up to her with just that little piece of information. Jericho wouldn't return - she'd miss him - but he wouldn't return. If she had his child, he would never need to know, and neither would anyone else. His tenure here had been so brief, he probably wouldn't be long remembered anyway.
"I promise you, you'll be missed, too," she said. Thoughts of babies and a night with absolutely no strings filled her head as she glanced past Jericho and to her bed briefly. "A great deal."
Was there still food to be eaten? She peeked quickly at the table set up in front of her. Some. Bubbly pies and then sex. Yes. Good plan.
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