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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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 Posted: Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:18 am
It wasn't as good as a real slate or paper, but Tofir made mental notes in which he imagined himself writing down Yulu's answer. It would give him an image of text to recall later when he transcribed the conversation for his records. Her take on the matter was different, not in that she professed no preference, but in that she was able to back it up with a reason not to have one. It probably came from her earlier upbringing. She'd mentioned that all dragons were the same beneath their hides and he knew she came from Healer Hall, so her view seemed to be more clinical than most, and not based in what he often observed was a false lack of preference. Everyone had some preference.
So he wasn't surprised when Yulu continued, though her color preferences were not what he'd expected. For her, dreaming big was Impressing a brown. The limits she imposed on herself for Impression gave him a fairly decent insight into her sexual orientation, or lack of it as the case may have been. He honestly couldn't care less which sex a person preferred, except for how it related to his research. He did wonder once more how she identified herself, though. It didn't sound much like she considered herself female, really.
"I'm impressed. Most people aren't that sensible about it. It's a shame, really, that so many seem to see only the color of a dragon's hide, when they're all born with their own personalities, which are more integral to who they are than what color they are."
Her question was one he didn't even have to think about. It was an old story, really. Accidental Impressions happened, as did unexpected ones. They happened a lot. And when it did, the human part of the pair was expected to completely abandon any other plans they may have had for their future and devote themselves entirely to their dragon and the Weyr. Every single one of them did. He knew he would have no choice but to do the same.
"I would become a dragonrider," Tofir answered simply. He paused outside the door to his office and looked at her quizzically. "What else does a person do when they Impress?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:37 pm
"I was hoping you'd say something a bit more interesting."
Yulu looked a little disappointed, were it possible, over the answer that Tofir gave her about being a dragonrider. She didn't know what she'd expected to hear though, knowing what he said was the standard for everyone, so why did she feel like he would have spouted something different? Maybe she was simply over thinking things.
"But anyway, in the end whatever happens to us happens to us, be it death on the Sands or returning to whatever we did before given dreams. I wouldn't mind going back and being a Healer, the need for people who perform Trauma is on the rise lately as people take more risks. There's not more fascinating then having the ability to fix someone back to how they were, or close enough to it."
Yulu liked that thrill, the power of knowing she did something well, as it was one of the few joys in her life she could count. Every success she had while at the hall remained in her memory, every word of praise given to her still fresh in her ears. Those kept her going whenever she thought of home, of going back to face that man, and it helped her believe that she was going to find a place out there for her - in one way or another.
"I'm sure Mindhealing is on the rise too?"
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 7:18 pm
Tofir shrugged and pushed open his office door. The place was small, and mostly taken up by a desk, a chair, and entirely too many files to fit into the containers that filled the remainder of the space. He didn't much like to conduct his interviews in his office, or meet with whatever people thought they needed his skills. It was far too cramped for anyone to be comfortable. He certainly wasn't, except that the space was entirely his own, and that made him love it regardless.
"Sorry to disappoint you. But no one refuses a dragon. At least no one I've ever heard of has done so." He'd heard dragon voices in his head before, with the permission of their riders, and even that much was compelling. He didn't know if he would be able to deny a dragon that was claiming to be his, insisting that they belonged together. It was irresistible, he posited.
"I'd be lying, though, if I didn't say it would be a terrible inconvenience to Impress a dragon at this point. As far as my research goes, I would lose my objectivity, and I would hardly feel comfortable practicing mindhealing with someone else able to share my thoughts. It would violate my patients' privacy." He laughed, and it was mostly self-deprecating. "As if I'd have any time to practice anyway. I've seen how demanding dragons can be."
"I sincerely hope it won't be death on the sands that awaits either of us. I'm much too good-looking to die," he joked. He looked around his office and motioned for her to join him inside. There was room for them both. Barely. "And I can understand about the feeling of restoring people. It's why I love what I do."
Yes. He really loved the power he was given over people as a healer. It was part of why he had been steered toward mindhealing, which was a less exact field, wrought with more uncertainty. The masters had hoped to shake his confidence, but it had not been particularly effective. They'd really just given him control over the minds of others. Still heady, but because of the delicacy, he'd never been tempted to abuse the power. He just liked having it.
"I don't know, actually. Going by the volume of patients I've had since I was assigned here, it's difficult to say. Personally, I think you were right to say we're a fairly rare breed. People are a bit reluctant to avail themselves of my skills. Some think I'm like a dragon, and I'll read their innermost thoughts, and are afraid of that. Others expect me to be able to do that, and are disappointed when I can't. I think the problem is that no one really knows what a mindhealer's good for, really." That was a very long speech. Oops.
"Anyway. These files. They're supposed to be in numerical order, and as you can see, they aren't. It would be a great help if you could assemble them so that are in better order than before. Start with the zeros, please, rather than the ones."
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 6:40 pm
"I think I can understand what you mean about not refusing, and about how it could be considered an inconvenience as well. It's just a bit interesting to actually hear someone else say that, as most people always seem to be so gung-ho about getting a dragon and flying off into the sunset."
Yulu managed something of a smirk at Tofir's attempt (or so she thought) at a joke about not being able to keep practicing with someone who could read minds, though in her own opinion perhaps having a dragon partner would help her in her quest to become a Healer. Having a dragon to help pinpoint wounds that people wouldn't mention could be a major asset, something she would have to look into if she wished to continue further down this route.
She had to smirk even more over Tofir's remark about his looks. She hadn't found him attractive in the least, but that was to be expected. Yulu didn't like other guys any more than she liked other girls, which left her rather. . jaded in her opinions of beauty and whatnot.
"I think you'll find your calling one day, so long as you don't try to practice with me. You will come to find that I'm a bit more than you can handle, or so I've been told by the guys back home."
Yulu didn't say anything else over Mindhealing, instead taking to sorting the files like she was asked. Over the course of their walking she'd managed to bind her hand with one of the wraps from the fingers on the opposite side, the stained red digits now visible as a testament to working at the Hall. It was easy enough for her to sort as he asked, paperwork wasn't beyond Yulu's scope of ability.
In fact, it was almost too easy, and she found herself halfway done rather quickly.
"If I finish, anything else you need?"
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:42 am
"Well," Tofir remarked, tossing a grin at Yulu, "I'm pretty sure the first thought going through my mind if I Impressed wouldn't be, 'Oh, damn, now I'll never make master.' It might be my third thought, following, 'Oh, really?' and 'Let's get this thing fed.'"
He shifted a stack of files and tried to convince them to fit onto already over-full shelves. The problem was that he shared his office with the Weyr's healing records. The records he'd asked Yulu to help him with were just the ones that pertained to his research, but there were thousands of other case files that he'd have to deal with at some point. He hadn't gotten around to reading all of them yet, even though a turn and more had passed since his arrival. Some of them related to people who were no longer at the Weyr. He'd have to do a lot of follow-up work to figure out where they were, or if they were even alive. Just the thought of it gave him a headache.
"I've found my calling," he pointed out. "This. Is my calling. Well. Not filing records and whatnot, but mindhealing. I'm good at it, I love it. I'm not sure if I'd ever make a good dragonrider at this point."
He shelved another fistful of records that weren't his, and then glanced over at Yulu's progress. She was efficient. He appreciated that. But in terms of physical appearance, he didn't find too much that was to his taste about her. He liked his women to look like women, though it was always nice if they were slender little slips that he could carry around every so often. Yulu didn't quite fit the bill. But in terms of competence and efficiency, she was lovely.
"No worries. I wasn't going to try anything with you. I know a lost cause when I see one." He didn't add that it was his tendency to go after lost causes anyway, because Yulu wasn't one he'd pursue.
He experienced a moment where he considered how offensive that must have come out, but couldn't immediately come up with a decent cover-up. So he changed the subject: "You're good at this. I don't suppose you'd be interested in making this your permanent working assignment? I've got all these other files to deal with and sort out. But for this afternoon, no. I've nothing else for you, really."
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 10:16 pm
"I see."
Yulu actually did sound offended this time, though in reality her feelings might have leaned a bit more towards peeved than anything else. She didn't need to be reminded that she wasn't really worth anything or anyone's type, as her Father had made sure to let her know that plenty of times over the Turns they spent together. One of the files she had in her hand almost seemed to get crushed by the sudden balling of her fist, and Yulu looked down just in time to notice and let it get released. No real worse for the wear, but certainly full of pretty new creases.
"It's up to you as to what to do with me. I was thinking of going and bothering some of the Healers into taking me into their service, since I'm tired of peeling potatoes or shoveling dung. I didn't come here to do more manual labor, and if I can't Impress any time soon I'd rather not be spending my time doing things that are useless."
She tossed a stack of files to the side, clearly sorted, and moved to another pile. This still was so easy for her to do, but now she was miffed and didn't want to think too hard on it. This boy would probably freak out if she got blood all over his papers, but such a cruel thought of damaging records and the punishment that may follow stopped that line of thought quickly.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Jan 14, 2010 5:17 pm
Tofir wondered briefly if he should just give up having his own personality and go around being a mindhealer all the time. He'd certainly offend fewer people. As it was, unless he did some quick damage control - and nothing spectacular was coming to mind on that front - he was probably going to lose Yulu as someone to interview for his research. He honestly wasn't sure what sort of a dragon would Impress to a girl who seemed to consider herself a boy, but if one did, he wanted to be able to interview them about it and try to piece together why it had happened. He couldn't afford to alienate any of the candidates.
"I'm sorry. That came out completely wrong," he said. Acknowledging that he'd spoken wrongly could help. "When I said you were a lost cause, I meant that I didn't think I'd have much success if I tried to pursue you, and every guy has to have at least some hope for success in his ventures, even on the longest of long shots."
It was the best he could come up with. He hoped she'd understand what he meant to say. When he spoke without thinking, he really could put his foot in it. It was a wonder he wasn't constantly cleaning s**t off his boots, really. It was such a pain. He was smart and perceptive, but his knack for saying the wrong thing when he didn't think about it was frustrating. There were days when he could just beat his head against a wall all day. Not that he would. There were more constructive ways to deal with that sort of frustration. And not that this thing with Yulu would put him into that mood.
"Well. Mostly what I do is push paper, except when I'm working with a patient, so if you want something more hands-on or interesting, I'm not the guy to talk to. I could put in a good word for you with the Weyr's healer though. Competent help is hard to find, and you wouldn't be useless there." He paused. "You wouldn't be useless here, either, but I know it's dull work that presents no challenge to anyone who can actually read and count. That's why I put off doing it. It's no good exchanging boredom in one location for boredom in another."
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:17 pm
So Tofir had been referring to Yulu as a conquest as a female, not as a person in general. His slight had been towards a romantic or lustful inclination, whatever it may have been, and for a moment she felt a little...relieved? He hadn't been calling her an outright failure as she had though, and Yulu mentally chided herself for jumping so quickly to conclusions. It was just like her to be a girl and get slightly emotional over something as simple as words, words from a stranger no less, and she planning heavily to punish herself once she got away from here.
Which...sounded like a good thing to do right now. She wasn't going to be able to get anything else done while she was being so stupid and emotional, not to mention she'd probably sorted more than what he'd wanted her to do already anyway. It was good to be efficient, and paperwork was always something her father loved to push onto her whenever the man got the chance. Slowly moving from where she had been kneeling at the moment, some papers she had dropped slowly gathering in her hand, Yulu made no expression change on her face as the youth before her still continued talking. For her part she was already done listening to him - he'd done his damage for the day to her rather pathetic self-esteem.
Not that she would let him know it. No one was ever allowed to know that, since she would never let herself admit it.
"It's fine, no need to explain yourself. I'll just be taking my leave for the day, I need to get my hand looked and new wrappings for my fingers."
Yulu made her way over towards the door that she had entered and stood in the entry, turning to look at Tofir. If looks could kill she was probably murdering him with her eyes, though her mouth stayed rather impassive to it all. Facial expressions gave away too much and too many years of practice had been put into her actions for Yulu to simply crack now.
"Thank you for giving me something to do this afternoon, and good luck with whatever else it is you're doing in the future."
She didn't give anything else in means of saying 'good-bye' or 'see you later', her heels turning her body out and her stride quickly taking her away from the closet. Hopefully, she prayed, this will be the last she ever saw of him.
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