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 Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 2:41 pm
 It was a clear night, cool but not uncomfortable if you wore a coat. Up above the countless stars lit up the clifftops of Malvren, as did a somewhat unglamorous gibbous moon but it gave as much light for human eyes to see by as a full moon even if it didn't have quite the same romantic appeal. Somewhat back from the sheer drop down into the ocean herds and flocks grazed under the watchful eyes of a team of wher handlers, who also made patrols around the paths that led down through the rock into the Weyr itself.
Near the edge of the precipice lounged a large golden wher with a tall thin man perched on her flank. Puffing on a long-stemmed clay pipe, the man waited. The girl's interest in whers had been reported to him by another handler a few days ago now, and this morning he had sent a letter down to her bunk in the lower caverns telling her to come and meet him up here. It was still around a quarter candlemark until the appointed time, but this was a man who believed in being early for everything, he had in fact already been there for more than a candlemark. Taking the pipe out of his mouth the whermaster blew a smoke ring and gazed out over the still waters, listening to the soft sigh of the sea.
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Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 5:09 pm
Ashmere found herself cradling her thin, notably frail waist with her equally slender arms. In the distance the wisp of a woman spotted whom she assumed she would be meeting, the sizeable wher at the male’s side certainly clarified any doubt that the brunette held in her mind. Trembling against the cool night air the petite framed brunette flicked the tip of her tongue across her long eyetooth then the other, she didn’t need the heartbreak of another let down. Had she already not suffered enough? Stifling the breathy sob that was beginning to well up in the back of her throat Ashmere dropped her arms to her sides causing her long blue robes to fan out against the breeze revealing her frail slender frame in the soft light of the moon.
Smoothing out the folds of her clothing Ashmere brushed the backs of her hands across her cheers and eyes, the telltale sign of pinkness at the edges of her hues denoted the tears that had silently already rolled down her face. This was not the time to feel sorry for herself, the whermaster was wishing to speak with her. Surely now things were going to turn around for the tortured harper woman. Dragging thin fingers through her messy brown tresses Ashmere made sure to find her voice before she approached the man, taking in a deep breath through her nose the short journeywoman squared her shoulders then proceeded towards the man and his beast.
“Good evening, Whermaster,” gregariously greeted the brunette from a few feet away from the tall man and his metallic wher. Offering a large grin towards him and the gold in his company Ashmere then bowed respectfully towards both and held the pose until commanded to rise. “Ashmere, journeywoman Harper at your service.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 6:31 am
Rising to his feet, the tall lean man turned around. Pale blue eyes ran slowly down the young woman's form and then back up again. Oh dear. The whermaster took the pipe out of his mouth again and blew smoke out through his nose. "Stand up girl." Barely there at all, this one. Right now he was certainly sceptical bout her ability to handle the rough life of a wherhandler but she had expressed interest and so she would get a chance to prove herself, that was at once the least and the most he could do for her.
"As you may already know," he continued, reaching over to stroke his wher's neck as the great beast rose to her feet and regarded Ashmere with gleaming red eyes, "I am Whermaster Kharn, and my blooded wher is Kharnsk... Tell me, Journeywoman Harper, what makes you want to leave behind your life of song and comparative glamour to become a wherhandler?" It was always interesting to hear their reasons. Here at the Weyr most of the new apprentices chose the path because a dragon had not chosen them. He supposed he couldn't blame them for seeking the closest thing they possibly could to the bond a rider had with their dragon but it still smarted to be second choice. Some of them didn't even decide to go through with training when they found out what whers were like and what being a handler was like, but then again many did, indeed many went on to be fine handlers... Which group would this frail little woman fall into? He supposed he would just have to wait and see.
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 1:23 pm
The woman did little but blink at the request to stand up right, offering out a smile she forced the corners of her mouth to remain neutral rather than twitch and tug into an erratic struggle between a frown and a smile. She didn’t want to look like an over-emotional git. Not in front of the whermaster of all people. The feeling of helplessness and lonesome all in one motioned swept over the thin woman as Kharnsk rose from her spot and peered at her with such an intense gaze, a blush steadfastly surfaced across pale cheeks and the instinct to keep her eyes lowered with respect flooded her being. Fidgeting from foot to foot Ashmere weighted the question that the man asked while biting her tongue in regards to how he viewed harper life. The color of blue didn’t necessarily mean that the craft was as glamorous as many thought but it certainly wasn’t nearly as harsh as the life that he had come to know, she was a harper she knew when to keep her thoughts to herself.
“Goodness, sir,” Ashmere delicately began, her thin angular face scrunched as her brow furrowed with deliberation. The long jagged scar that lined her girlish face wrinkled and turned shade or two darker before smoothing out when she exhaled to answer the man. “I want to become a wherhandler for the same reason that I stood two turns ago, I want to help. Especially now since thread is falling. I just want to help,” pursing her lips the brunette tugged at her long blue robe moving it to the side as the wind kicked up yet again. “No amount of song can fend off all of the pain that is falling upon the land. And--- besides I can’t fully be a harper if I don’t put my heart into it. I have known since I was little that I am not complete--- if I wasn’t meant for a dragon then perhaps I am meant for a wher. Perhaps I was just standing in front of the wrong gold the whole time. I know I have to have a mate out there somewhere, once I find my match I know I will be able to help others. The one time that I stood, there was a dragon and he went between in order to save another dragon that Impressed, I like to think that maybe he was mine and he died to do something that would end up bettering the land. I won’t stop until I am pleased with my own actions. No matter how much I have to struggle I want to die knowing I tried to do something better, and being a harper right now is not what is going to make me feel that way.” Firmly declared Ashmere with conviction. Glancing up she found the confidence to meet the man’s stare, a flicker of something toyed beneath the surface of her visage but the petite woman maintained the cool exterior that made her seem serious and withdrawn.
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 2:13 pm
((The Thread isn't back just yet, all the encounters with Thread have been back in time. The red star is back though, and everyone assumes the Thread will soon be falling again soon. You can edit your post if you'd like to :3))
Oh dear oh dear. Well, she clearly had dedication and conviction, and that could be useful to the craft if she could put her dreams of dragonriding behind her. "A wher does not complete you," Kharn said softly, firmly but not unkindly. "It is not like a dragon. We are not like riders. You are bonded to your wher, of course, but it is not guaranteed to be a personality that matches yours. You bond a wher as you bond a flitter, not as you Impress a dragon. The wher will love you, and you it, but you may well not be perfect partners. There may be misunderstanding, and hurt feeling, and... accidents..." Trailing off the whermaster studied the scar-faced girl closely, pondering what to say next. "I do not mean to put you off my craft," he went on eventually, "I have found it brings great satisfaction, and I have loved the whers I have been bonded to more than I can express. I must ensure, however, that you understand what we are."
Kharnsk, more than six feet at her withers, gave a soft hiss and lay down in the grass as her eyes faded from aggressive red to relaxed blue. Rumbling deep in her chest she raised her head at the same moment as Kharn reached out to caress her eyeridges.
"We understand one another, she and I," the blue-eyed man said, looking now at his partner rather than Ashmere, "we are a great team. Together we guard this Weyr where the riders will not, or cannot. They have night watchers, but it is thought a waste of dragons to guard the flocks and herds as we do. In addition to that, dragons have certain... compunctions that whers do not." Looking back up he met the Harper's cool eyes with an equally chill gaze. "We are guards," he said flatly, "we are work beasts. We do not soar into the sky and sear away the thread as the dragonriders of Pern soon will again, but we see to it that the beasts those dragons eat are safe from wild beasts and poachers. Is that a life you could accept, Ashmere?"
He hoped she could, for he at once instantly liked and instantly disliked the girl, wanted to see her strive and succeed but vindictively wanted to see her suffer too. He appreciated the strength in her eyes but scored her frail body and despised her conviction that she was 'meant' for something. Perhaps that was only because she had been certain that her destiny was a dragon and had looked his way only when it didn't come to be; had he not already thought to himself that 'second best' stung? Of course she would rather have been a rider, flying out to save the world and adored by people everywhere. When offered the chance to do that with a great intelligent beast - albeit one with a minuscule memory - who would opt for guarding herdbeasts with an animal that was not so revered, that could not carry you into the skies? Out in his Hold of birth whers had been his first and only desire, but if he had been born here could he swear on his life that he wouldn't have wanted to be a rider?... He didn't know, he truly didn't.
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Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2011 10:34 pm
(Totally didn't know that--- I thought--- wow I need to read things better--- I feel like a total a** now. I will go back and fix it shortly. Also sorry for the short reply--- I totally feel this post works substantially for a retort to the whermaster =3 )
Ashmere took in each word that the man spoke as if it was air itself and her lungs burned for the vital substance. Twisting and knotting the blue robe that draped her slight frame the woman simply nodded mutely, several moments passed before the brunette blinked rapidly at the realization that her small hands where clinging to the fabric of her garb like a frightened child. Rotating her bony shoulders Ashmere unclasped the blue cloth and allowed it to crumbled around her feet, without the flamboyant garment fluttering around her body the scar-faced harper seemed even more confident. Grinning towards Kharn the shorthaired brunette ceased her continuous fidgeting and stood with her small chest puffed out. Cold gray hues danced with mirth for a flicker of a moment before the woman forced her line of vision to meet that of icy blue.
“It-t-t is-s-s a life I c-c-can accept-t-t,” her feminine pitch cracked ever so slightly as she addressed the tall male with a lisp, a bit of healthy color gathered in her cheeks as she chose to continue after a brief pause to mend her words. “it is a life I have already accepted, if you, Kharn, Whermaster sir will allow me to attempt. More than anything I want to at least try. Fail of succeed, at least I can say I tried.” Ashmere said, her voice diligent and strong as she spoke. More than anything was correct, she wanted to have more than just herself to take care of, something to make her a person. Brushing her long bangs away from face the girl simply stood there stare at the man and his precious beast, this was what she wanted and she had every intention to see it through no matter how long it took.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 1:34 am
((^^ No worries!))
Her shedding the robe bemused Kharn briefly - she looked as if she was freezing and could use all the warmth she could get - but she seemed to grow more confident when she did drop it, and certainly stopped her fiddling which was a plus. As the young woman stuttered a little over her words the whermaster raised his eyebrows slightly and put his pipe back in his mouth. When Ashmere finished speaking silence reigned for some moments, but eventually the pipe came back out and Kharn addressed the Harper once more.
"Very well then Ashmere, I'll accept you as an apprentice," he said with a nod. "Your first duty is to start getting yourself healthy. I can tell you for sure that at the moment you wouldn't make it through a day of chores and training without fainting. We'll start you with theory and light chores while you build up strength, no sense throwing you in at the deep end when we know you'd only sink." It would be good to have another apprentice training up, it always was, for it meant that in the future - if all went well - he would have to destroy one less egg. He had never enjoyed the task of taking the unclaimed eggs away from Kharnsk and smashing them, and that was the understatement of the interval; he knew it was necessary of course, but that didn't mean it wasn't upsetting for both of them.
“Any questions for now?” Kharn went on after only a momentary pause. “No such thing as a stupid one, you’re only stupid if sit on a question for fear of looking silly and then don’t know what to do.”
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 10:10 am
The long-stemmed clay pipe finally slipped from his lips and the words that he stated so calmly elicited a joyous noise to erupt from the woman’s throat. Wanting to throw her arms around the man Ashmere instead clasped her hands together and nodded vigorously. The sense of euphoria that filled the brunette nearly dissipated as a loud pop and a rush of bitter chilled air assaulted her from behind, chastising squawking and a high-pitched trill disrupted the stillness of the night as both Mesmer and Fervor greeted Theirs with mix emotions. Picking and snapping her beaked snout at the young woman’s hair the oldest of the green flits seemingly lectured the newly apprenticed girl, the other green however crooned verbosely and shoved its head against Ashmere’s gaunt cheeks from its perch on her shoulder. The expression on the brunette’s pale complexioned face was enough to laugh at, she seemed all at once grateful and horrified by the sudden appearance of her two beautiful greens.
“You will have to excuse them,” Ashmere muttered bashfully. “They tend to show up at the most unreasonable times. Isn’t that right Mesmer---” gray eyes solely locked on the eldest firelizard whom in reply gave a sweet chirp and drew her wings at rest behind herself so that she increased speed and dove directly at the petite brunette. Lifting up her hands the woman caught Mesmer and brought her into a bit of an embrace against her chest, the green was demanding that was certain and seemed to still be lecturing the former-harper about something of importance. “I will begin on my studies immediately, sir. I promise these two won’t be a bother whatsoever. Fervor is very tame and for the most part lazy, Mesmer here just likes to nag me, when I am not around I am sure she is thinking of thinks to complain to me about later.” A bemused tone crept into the petite woman’s voice as she spoke yet her chilled eyes remained cool and firm, glancing towards Kharn then to Kharnsk the handler in training smiled and for the first time the pleasant expression reached her gray eyes making them softer and welcoming.
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Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2011 11:10 am
As the two flitts appeared Kharnsk's head came up and she let out a deep huff of breath as she watched the little things with mild disapproval. Her hander on the other hand seemed unfazed, and when the gold started to rumble her displeasure he tapped her on the nose with the bow of his pipe to silence her. "So long as they don't cause trouble I don't mind them," he said with a shrug, "but keep them away from Kharnsk, she's rather jealous of flying things and might take a swipe at them if she's in a bad mood." He'd always rather fancied a firelizard of his own, but ironically since coming into a position where he could afford to buy himself a whole clutch of eggs he couldn't keep one because of the very beast that had come along with his better paid position. Still, he'd rather have Kharnsk any day.
Kharnsk rumbled approvingly at this sentiment and bumped her head against her handler's hip, making him stagger slightly to one side. As the man recovered himself the gold let out a series of deep clicks that sounded rather apologetic and nudged him again, more gently this time.
"Anyway," Kharn went on, recovering his aplomb smoothly, "you'll start your lessons tomorrow night, I'll assign some of the more experienced handlers to teach you until you know enough to go in with the main class. It's not a big group, and we can cater for people being at different levels to some degree, but I like to see new apprentices given a bit of a private crash course before they're put in with the rest." This of course had nothing at all to do with having totally humiliated himself on his first day as an apprentice in front of twelve other children, nothing whatsoever... Ah, new apprentice. He'd almost forgotten.
"You'll be meeting your assigned tutor tomorrow at sundown in the dininghall," Kharn informed Ashmere, unfastening his coat and reaching inside it. As he withdrew his hand again, for the first time in the encounter the grey-haired man twitched a small smile at the young woman before him rather than just at his wher. "You'll probably want to wear these." In his now outstretched hand, naturally, was a set of apprentice knots.
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 5:00 pm
Letting out a small chirp Fervor tilted her head at the disheartened noises coming from the massive gold wher she didn’t seem to understand exactly what the matter was however when Ashmere lifted her finger and made a low toned whistle the flit blinked its bejeweled eyes and dropped to the ground by the woman’s feet. “You won’t have to worry about them bothering her at all, sir. Especially Fervor, she tends to drag herself on her belly. It is rather cute but she is my odd one. Mesmer here is a bit brighter and would never annoy Kharnsk. Mesmer is respectful for the most part towards larger creatures.” Flopping over the boots that Hers wore the bright green rested obediently and shut her eyes welcoming a tiny nap, she hadn’t done anything bad why was her bonded one making her have a timeout. Honestly it wasn’t very fair, crooning softly Fervor idly scrapped her jaw back and forth trying to lull herself into a sound slumber upon the tops of the shoes.
Hiding behind her bony digits the now former harper gazed intensely at the knots in the man’s hand. “My goodness, I haven’t had to wear those kind in a very long time. It is going to take some time before I remember that I am not a journeywoman anymore…” trailing off the woman removed her fingertips from her face and out stretched her hand to take the offered item with a brightened grin. When was the last time she had worn apprentice knots? She honestly couldn’t recall, perhaps five or six turns and here she was about to start all over again. Looking the item over in her hand Ashmere sighed with a bit of contentment, puffing up her chest with pride the stick figured girl curtsied towards the grey-haired master. “Regardless, of rank I will be ready for my lessons and I promise to do my very best sir. You won’t regret allowing me into your craft.”
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:34 am
"I'd better not regret it, and believe me you'll get used to being an apprentice quickly enough," Kharn said, raising his eyebrows as he fastened his coat back up. "Hard work lies ahead," he elaborated, "menial hard work, and even less reverence than you will have enjoyed as a dragonrider candidate: as I've said you won't find glory and adulation of the common man here... It's not all bad though: a wher can protect you better than a dragon ever could, and even if the relationship isn't guaranteed to be perfect every wher I've ever seen adores its hander. There's great camaraderie between us handlers too; we're not like riders, we don't hold ourselves separate from those yet to bond. Once you prove your dedication to the craft, you won't find yourself short of companionship or support." That wasn't to say absolutely everyone would like her - nobody was universally popular - but handlers didn't let anyone outside the profession badmouth one of their fellows in his experience no matter what they thought of them. After all, who would watch the backs of watchwhers but other watchwhers?
"You can do as you like tonight," Kharn went on after a moment, "but I suggest you stay up until close to first light so you can sleep through the day and be fresh again in the evening..." Trailing off the grey-haired man looked Ashmere up and down calculatingly, putting his pipe back into his mouth and puffing on it for a few moments. "Let me make this clear Ashmere: what I say next isn't a guarantee, if it doesn't work out like this I won't have you accusing me of broken promises. With that understood, I think that if you apply yourself you'll be able to be rid of those rank marks in about a turn." She clearly wasn't stupid so he didn't foresee her struggling with learning wher lore, and if she ate right and so on she'd toughen up soon enough. A turn sounded about right to him, the only thing then was for her to earn Kharnsk's trust and respect when she clutched... Still, she had a whole turn for that, and Kharnsk certainly hadn't instantly taken against her and that was always a good sign; she'd practically tried to eat a couple of former applicants to the craft on first meeting them.
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