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 Posted: Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:31 pm
"I don't mind the lessons so much, really. Z'nal teaches them, mostly, and some of them are fair interesting. It's the chores that I could do without. ...Though I suppose it's only fair that I earn my keep. Though you'd think with so many people, there wouldn't be quite so much for each person to do." Really, that was what puzzled him- how could they possibly keep making work for so very many Candidates? He had a sneaking suspicion that they were being assigned tasks that had counter-acted each other, just to keep them busy and out of trouble. ...And admittedly, Alambri would probably be one of those who did manage to find trouble if he wasn't being kept fairly well occupied, so maybe they weren't too far off base.
"Never found a pair that fit well enough, really- and I didn't really take to the work, so it seemed silly to make the extra effort. I tried using the pair my father used once- they were a bit too large. Took a swing with the hammer and the whole thing slipped a bit, too much slack in the gloves, and it caught the edge of the anvil, bounced wrong, and I ended up breaking the handle. The head went flying and- I swear, I don't know how- ended up in the fires. A few little burns didn't seem too high a price to pay to keep from sending tools flying, so I worked without after that." Alambri grinned, clearly finding the memory more amusing than upsetting. It had been worth his father's exasperated scolding to see his face when he'd explained what had happened to the hammer.
"Another sevenday? Truly?" Alambri leaned in, peering at the instrument. "A lot of detail work, then? It seems odd that so simple seeming a thing would take so much work." Clearly, not as simple as it seemed. Maybe that was part of the charm. He gave Bell a questioning look, shaking his head. "No, he definitely doesn't seem to prefer me. Ah, well. Maybe time will convince him of my myriad charms." He gave Vera a wink, obviously not taking his own words terribly seriously.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:25 pm
Transfered from AIM:
Miss Cherie:
"Really? S'van always told me that he loved the chores. Then again, S'van is forever wrapped up in that kitchen of his. Silly boy." Not entirely unlike Vera for being wrapped up in her craft. Absently, she sanded the flute, smoothing around a beautiful carving that she had made in the wood. She was exceptionally careful with the piece, not wanting to endanger it or subject it to a sudden bout of clumsiness. "Tell me, what is your favorite chore here, hmm?" He must have a favorite. They all did, after all. Every Candidate she'd ever encountered liked something above the rest. "And tell you what: If you keep my firelizard entertained, there may be a flit egg in store for you."
That was an exceedingly handy way of getting rid an unwanted flitter egg. "KRAAAAAWWWWWW!" Bell screamed, as though he disagreed with the flit egg being gotten rid of. That was his egg, shardit, and she was not going to just give it off to anybody-- Apparently Vera had a different opinion, there. "Hush, Bell. You knew I wasn't going to keep the egg. It was just a matter of who it went to. Sorry, he's a bit... possessive, I suppose. I think he's decided that it is his to take care of, despite being a baby himself." Which would be interesting after the little beastie hatched, wouldn't it? "Goodness, whatever happened to giving your apprentices useful tools?"
Tools like a nice set of gloves. "You're really supposed to receive gear that fits," she said disapprovingly, working away at the flute. "Oh yes, it will take at least another sevenday. Truly exceptional instruments always take time." And she intended Marko's flute to be without compare among her pieces. She had already made him a serviceable flute, but she intended to gift him with both at once, as a sign of her continued affection for her (ex-)teacher. "Wicked creature." Winking at her, really? Silly lad. But she couldn't help but smile at him all the same. He was charming enough, all right. Charming enough that he might manage to keep Bell occupied after all. "Kraaaw," Bell stated defiantly. ... Or maybe not.
TheDevilSheIs:
Alambri was momentarily boggled by the idea that she might be willing to give him one of the prized flitt eggs for merely keeping her little fellow occupied- though perhaps one was enough, if one had work to do. Still, the delighted grin that he gave her was almost dazzling in its intensity. "You certainly know how to motivate a fellow, don't you?" he asked, another bit of teasing entering his tone. "I think all manner of pecking might be worth it for such a prize." He leaned back, considering the clearly-irked Blue. "Though somehow I don't think this is likely to make him any more fond of me," he added ruefully. Ah, well.
"I don't mind working outside, there's occasionally call for helping with the herdbeasts, though it's rare enough. And I don't mind working in the kitchens, or helping with the laundry- there's usually a lot of people all in one place then, and the conversation keeps the mind off the work. Not so fond of washing down floors or cleaning out store-rooms, that tends to be boring." And lonely, occasionally, and that bothered him more than the work itself. "I've never had much patience for cleaning, I suppose. Most of the other work is alright." Laundry was a special case, of course, because there were a lot of people working together.
"Ah, my father hardly considered me an apprentice. Mostly he just considered me a pest. Always working on little things he saw no use in, never 'carrying my weight' for the family. I don't think he wanted to invest more in me than he absolutely had to, and I didn't feel the need to complain over gloves- I had more pressing things to complain about. Like being there at all. Me'n my father didn't see eye to eye on much. He's a good fellow, bless his heart, but he's dreadfully set in his ways, and he couldn't understand where he'd gone wrong, to throw a son with no interest in smithing. But that's alright. I'm here now, so neither one of us has to worry over it any longer." Alambri shrugged and gave Vera another smile, clearly not harboring too much in the way of resentment toward his old life.
"Well, now, master Bell, how shall I convince you that don't mean you nor your mistress harm?" He turned his attention to the flitt, eyeing him carefully and trying to decide if it was worth the near-inevitable bite if he made the effort to stroke his head.
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:30 pm
To Vera, the idea of gifting Alambri with a firelizard egg was really quite a fortuitous one. Also, it was easy to think of giving him a flit egg when her current flit was driving her absolutely insane. In point of fact, she had for a moment contemplated simply giving him the egg without so much as demanding a service for its gifting. Of course, she was also a Harper, and it was not in a Harper’s nature to give away anything for free that could be exchanged for useful services or marks. “Well, I do have a little experience with it,” Vera said with a chuckle. “No, I doubt that he will be any fonder of you when you walk off with his egg than he is now.”
Carefully, she concentrated on the fine detail of the flute, smoothing the edges of the carving so that they were beautifully rounded, rather than spiky and unappealing. … Yes, there was innuendo to be found there, but without Xeran and his bells around, she felt no pressing need to pursue it. Some men liked their flutes polished until they shone. Apparently, Vera was of the opinion that Marko was one of those men. “Oh you like to work with your hands, eh?” Heh heh. Yes, there was a joke there as well. “Bell will keep you occupied, I’m sure.” Bell, who felt as though all things ought to involve him, gave an approving ‘Kraaww’.
“You know, I’ve said the same thing of Bell, but he just can’t seem to get the point.” Bell, of course, was a pest. “KRRRAAAAAAWWWWWWW!” he shrieked, as if to make the point astonishingly clear. “Yes, yes you, you under-grown Harper-hued Bronze.” Apparently saying his name was enough to draw his ire. Bell looked Alambri over suspiciously, and hopped toward him… pausing for a moment to bite at him. Yes, biting was very important! He needed to make sure that the uppity human didn’t think he could get away with anything just because his mistress allowed him a little freedom.
“Mm. My father, when he was still alive, was a seaholder and fishcrafter. I doubt that he and I would have really seen eye to eye if he had insisted that I follow his trade.” She could certainly understand Alambri’s position. “Some folks aren’t meant to follow in their kin’s footsteps. Perhaps you’re destined for a dragon, Alambri. If you’re willing to put up with Bell, I doubt any dragonet could faze you.” It seemed as though he was happy enough with his current life, with or without the dragon. She hoped that having a firelizard would brighten things up still further for him, assuming that the firelizard wasn’t at all like her Blue. “All’s well that ends well, eh?”
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Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:01 pm
"I do rather enjoy working with my hands, yes," Alambri replied, his smile flashing wicked for just a moment. He was not one to let a joke slip past unnoticed, after all. "I've been told on occasion that I'm fairly good at it, even." He chuckled, and shook his head. "Really, I just prefer those particular chores because they're social. No one does laundry in a corner by themselves, after all." If they did, it likely made the task that much harder, anyway.
"I was definitely not meant to follow in my father's footsteps. And besides, the man has feet like a giant's. I'm much more delicate." He made the comment almost primly, but the smile that teased at the edge of his expression was impossible to ignore.
"I would love a dragon, though. For truth, the thought of being able to be close to a being like that... Of being able to help keep Pern safe..." He trailed off, looking distant for a moment. Then he laughed, and came back to the present. "But I'm glad enough to have the chance to be here, either way. Maybe if things don't work out, I can apprentice on as a Beastherder or something."
Alambri moved just enough to avoid actually being bitten, and fixed Bell with a look. There really was something surprisingly endearing about the pushy, protective little creature, even if he was still trying to bite him. He couldn't really take offense. "I'm sure he can keep me occupied... If only by keeping me dodging," he added with a wry smile.
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