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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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 Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 6:33 pm
Tofir thought privately that her parents said she was single-minded to their friends and those she'd managed to alienate, but called her something completely different when discussing her in private. And the same could probably be said for the Harper. Though where he would get the adjective ambitious led Tofir's mind down a somewhat dark and secluded path. A beautiful young woman who was referred to as ambitious might also be willing to sleep around to get ahead, though that kind of speculation could get a guy into a lot of trouble.
If that was the case, he imagined she must be very frustrated with him indeed. He wasn't succumbing to her wiles properly. If only she knew that he was definitely attracted to her physically, she might feel less off-balance. On the other hand, since he was not ruled by his passions, most of the time, and wasn't sure he wanted to submit to the wiles of someone quite as "single-minded" and "ambitious" as Canoake. It seemed like an incredibly bad idea, actually, which made it almost tempting. No. Bad Tofir.
"I've no doubt they were all correct," Tofir allowed as he settled into his position and began to take dictation, trying not to look at the hide he was writing on. He truly didn't give a damn about the Weyr's hyssop and willow park needs.
"I've been here since...oh, shortly before the last clutch hatched. I was on the sands helping the healers at that one, but I wasn't here in time for the Touching." He shrugged. He seemed to be doing that a lot around Canoake, almost like he was trying to shrug off her attempts to turn him into one of her followers. He was sure she had followers. A male harem of them. Maybe even some females, though those would probably be more circumspect in their attentions.
He didn't ask her anything about herself in return.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 7:54 pm
It was now personal. Shards if this one was not infuriating her to no end. Inside, Canoake was already plotting several ways to get back at him for snubbing her. She continued on to call out random herbs and how many were needed. While she was by no means a short girl, it was still hard for her to rotate the herbs located on the uppermost shelves. Normally, she would have grabbed a sack of something and used it to reach what she needed but now... "Oh drat. Do me a favor and switch? I can take the last of the writing and you reach the top shelves, hmm? You are just a little taller than me and a little stronger as well I am sure."
Canoake turned and moved to wear he was sitting. Bending over and putting her hands on the top of the hide, she looked him in the eye before tugged the hide out of his hands. "We are almost done. I truly appreciate the help you have given me."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:15 pm
As Canoake called out her provision lists Tofir wrote them down. Sometimes he couldn't help glancing down at the hide, but mostly he managed not to look at it. Years of practice at taking notes while he was studying at Healer Hall had made him expert at writing without looking at what he was writing. He just had to get a feel for the dimensions of the page and where certain pieces of information should be recorded.
There were probably worse ways to spend his time, though the fact that he didn't have to do this chore grated on his nerves a bit. If he'd been interested in getting lucky, the task would have seemed less onerous, but as it was, Tofir was fairly certain that getting lucky would be a very short-term kind of luck, and that he would be expected to remain indebted to Canoake for the rest of eternity in exchange for one night's pleasure. It wasn't a deal he was likely to make. No matter how attractive she was.
And Tofir was taking in her attractiveness with appreciation while she stared at the shelves and the jars and pots. After all, there was no reason he shouldn't enjoy the scenery. It made the task that much more pleasant for him, anyway. He doubted Canoake would derive much more than satisfaction knowing he was watching her. She'd probably take it no more than her due, and only wonder why it had taken him so long to get around to it. Which was a good question. Perhaps because he was suspicious of her motives.
"If you like," Tofir asked. He was almost tempted to ask if she could write. Not because he doubted her ability to write, but just because he was feeling ornery. He refrained. Just.
"But I'm not really sure where you got the idea that a mindhealer would be any stronger than you are. The heaviest thing I lift most of the time is a quill," Tofir continued between reciting the names and required numbers on the top shelves. He was forced to concede, however, "I might be a bit taller."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 7:49 pm
The task was finished quickly. Canoake was tempted to pull one final card. A simple trip and a hopeful catch. There were plenty of sacks to break their fall. But somehow, she got the feeling that if she were to tumble with Tofir, he would see much more of her than she wanted anyone to see. And at this point, Canoake wasn't even sure she wanted to give him the time of day or pleasure.
"So what exactly does a mind healer do? I have heard of dragon healers and regular healers. What makes a mind healer so special?" Canoake asked sweetly. She didn't swing her legs like a child but she did cross them and lean forward with feigned interest. It was now a game of dragonmen.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 6:18 am
She still wanted to talk to him? Tofir couldn't decide whether she was really that desperate to snare every man that she met, and couldn't let go of one who refused to take the bate, or if she was truly dense enough to notice that he wasn't biting. Fine. He could talk. It wasn't as if wondering about his firelizard egg would make it hatch any sooner.
"We're not that special," Tofir replied. The answer was almost automatic. Many people had no idea what a mindhealer did and did not do, or why they might wish to talk to one. A lot of people got the wrong idea about that. He spent a large portion of his time as a professional explaining himself.
"Basically, a mindhealer puts together puzzles with invisible pieces. Unlike a body, which can be taken apart and put together with a person's bare hands, and all of its secrets discovered in the process, the mind is something that can't be simply exposed and understood. Thoughts and feelings are abstracts that I could never see or touch even if I opened someone's skull and started poking around in their brain. In spite of that, I try to mend things when a person isn't thinking or emoting as they should. Or as they think they should."
Not quite the textbook definition of a mindhealer, but it was almost the same one he'd received in one of his lectures at the hall, verbatim. He'd been taken with the idea of putting together puzzles with invisible pieces. It sounded like the ultimate challenge. And, as that same lecturer had later joked, it made it so much easier to get into a woman's bed. Tofir hadn't really found that to be true, but he held out hope.
"Like I said, not really that special."
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 9:08 pm
And at last, the task was done. Canaoke did not like silence so her questions to keep Tofir talking moved things along. Not that she was no longer paying attention to his answers. Inside, she was seething at his obvious lack of interest in her or making any overtures to telling her how pretty she was... It was, to tell herself the honest truth, both infuriating and intriguing.
What was it he said about putting pieces together? Was that what a mind healer did? Quite frankly, Canoake didn't want to hear about anyone's problems or excuses. Poking around someone's mind. As if! Of course, if she had truly reflected upon herself, Canoake might have realized she would have made an interesting case for Tofir.
"I guess not. Puzzles are fine and dandy unless some of your invisible pieces are missing. But now, the task is done and the tallies made. I need to take this hide and bring it back to the Headwoman. It was...nice to meet you Tofir. I hope to see you around." Canoake bit her tongue and refrained from sounding like a child. Personally, she tried to decide if she had been happier by herself. Things might have moved along faster. "Good thing I didn't keep you from anything too important. And if I did, my apologies."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 4:42 pm
"Actually, that's what makes them interesting," Tofir remarked off-handedly. "People are unbelievably complex, and unique in so many ways, and yet they're all basically the same, with very few exceptions."
Tofir wasn't really about putting people into boxes and labeling them, but he knew it could be done to a certain extent. However, he preferred subtleties, and so he stayed away from that sort of generalization on principle. Speculation, certainly, and some classification, but he didn't try to force people into boxes. That was completely counterproductive, as far as he was concerned. Besides, many of the people he knew didn't fit neatly into boxes anyway. At least not the preexisting ones.
Tofir smirked at her hesitation before choosing the word nice. He'd gotten to her. That was an exceedingly pleasant thought, and it really shouldn't have been. Ah, well. Sometimes a guy just had to be a jerk. It was unfortunate for Canoake that she'd been the one to bear the brunt of his pain-in-the-a** mood, but that happened sometimes. She'd undoubtedly recover from the experience, unless her ego was really that fragile, which he sincerely doubted.
"It was nice to meet you, too," he replied. "There are worse ways to pass time."
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 7:51 pm
Canoake knew when all good and bad things came to an end. She had the feeling that her interaction with Tofir ended long before the tallies had even begun. She barely registered what he said as she looked over the counts in a bored way. She would not let him see that he had frustrated her.
Flouncing up off the sacks, she gave him her best smile and nodded calmly. "Another time perhaps."
And with that, she walked out to go find the Headwoman and turn in her tallies.
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