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 Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:50 am
Hanya hadn't been at the Weyr long—she had arrived in the slim window of time between the Touching and Hatching of the most recent clutch—but she knew a great number of things for certain already from even that small amount of time. Firstly, Candidates were little more than glorified drudges. They were subjected to hard work, far too much of it, daily. Secondly, the work was as miserable as it could possibly be made. There were no chores the Candidates did that were pleasant or interesting. They were all mundane and time-consuming and often extremely physical.
Thirdly, she absolutely hated it. Hanya grumbled to herself as she hauled another bucket of water into the stable. The soft, pleased noise of the runnerbeast whose trough she filled was lost on her as she sloshed some of the water all down her front and made a noise of muffled fury. And here she had thought she was finally picking up the rhythm. Apparently not. Sighing when the happy animal stuck his nose against the back of her neck and whuffled, making her shudder from the tickly feeling, she turned around, dug a piece of stale sweet roll from a pocket on the short apron she was wearing, and slipped it to the animal as she left his stall.
She supposed it could be worse; last week she had been mucking out instead of feeding, and that had been horrible. This time around, she was greeted with something akin to pleasure from the runnerbeasts, instead of the mild condescension they showed to anyone holding a pitchfork. Sloshing the remainder of the water into the trough of a runner who only needed a bit, she sighed, looked down at the wet spot across her front and part of her left side, and shook her head. She supposed she just had to be more careful.
Huffing quietly, she hoisted the bucket and stalked back out to the reservoir to refill it.
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 3:50 pm
Veyes ran to the kitchen bright and early thinking that he would be working the usual job - butchery, however, once he arrived the head cook chuckled as she handed him a heavy bowl of spiced porridge and a cup of Klah. "Well, Veyes...today you're not working in the kitchen but out at the stables. I guess someone got sick and we have a few other boys working in the meat locker this afternoon so your going to be work out there most of the morning. You'll find someone out there at the stables already who can tell you what needs to be done."
"Oh...alright...um...I'll finish this then go straight away" responded Veyes rather surprised by this because no one had told him of the change. Maybe it was just something he had missed either way, he was thrilled!
Finally, Veyes thought to himself a day that didn't require him to be in the meat locker. He actually had a different assignment!....but only for Today it seemed. But that didn't matter too much because it still was something different than what he had been dealing with since he had gotten to the Weyr. Even though he never complain, it was nice to get a change of scenery. So he ate his porridge quickly and made sure to ask for direction because he had already gotten lost several times trying to get to other unfamiliar places about the Weyr. After repeating the directions several times to himself, he headed out and down several hallways that would eventually take him to where he wanted to go.
As he walked into the stable he greeted all the animals just like he would have at home. Working with animals was something he really enjoyed even if sometimes the jobs had the worst possible smell. However, it appeared that these stalls had already been mucked once even though he'd probably make sure to check before he left in the afternoon.
From what he was told, he'd be meeting someone here that knew the routine. Heck, he could have probably just got busy without asking considering he had lived and breathed farm work all of his life. However, it would be good to make sure that there wasn't any particulars before he jumped in. So he wandered around thinking that an adult would be close by but instead he found a girl out by the reservoir filling a bucket of water.
"MMmmm...ah...Hello." he called out a a bit of a distance so as not to surprise her. "I was sent here to work today and was told to meet someone. Do you know who that is?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 10:46 am
"Hmm? Oh!"
Hanya hadn't realized that whoever was talking was talking to her until enough time had passed that she would be regarded as rude for ignoring him. Jumping and turning around, water sloshing out of the bucket and nearly dousing her a second time as she did so, she set the bucket down quickly and almost dropped a nervous curtsy at the boy. Correcting herself when she remembered that she was a Candidate and he didn't seem to be any older than her, she shrugged and picked up the bucket again.
"Usually there's someone keeping an eye on things...maybe a stablemaster or someone? I don't know what he would be called," she admitted quietly. "But if he's not here, he's probably gone to check the herdbeasts in the Bowl. At least...that's where I think he goes," she answered. Glancing at the boy again, she sized him up quickly and made an executive decision. She smiled shyly at him and made a point to nearly brush him as she walked past.
"I'm Hanya," she said sweetly. "A Candidate from Weavercraft hall." She paused a moment and then looked down at the bucket. "I'm only watering the runners right now, but they still need to be fed. Do you think you could help me, maybe?" she asked. If that was the job this boy was supposed to be doing, then all the better for him. If not, then at least she got out of some of the troublesome task. She kept her smile as sweet as she could, though, and tried her hardest to look endearing in spite of the water slopped all down her front.
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Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:25 pm
Veyes stared at the soaked girl and realized that she probably wasn't the type to do farm work. She seemed to have a hard enough time controling the bucket before her. He didn't fail to notice her brushing against him as she walked by but almost thought that was from her inability to handle the bucket. Although it did send a few shivers along his spine. For shards sake! He didn't really want to get his mind going that direction so he thought of things that could fill that awkward space - dragons...the eggs...yes there were many other things he could think about!
"Nice to meet you, Hanya...umm...I'm Veyes. Well I guess I can get to the feeding and such. This is pretty much old hat for me. I'm sure when the stable master returns, he or she can tell me if there's anything extra to be done." He wandered in to the barn and wrangled out a load of hay then checked the troughs and buckets to see what had been left behind from the last feeding.
"Looks like most are getting the standard diet except the last one over there because she's pregnant but looks like she's got a few months left." He grabbed a pitchfork and started hauling hay to the various stalls; never once complaining about the chores before him. "I'm just glad the stalls have already been mucked." He smiled as he got the next bunch of hay.
"How long have you been working in the stables here, Hayna?" he said as he walked towards the next stall. Have you been around the Weyr that long?" He was sure she wasn't from this place or she probably would have been more used to the chores. More than likely, she was another candidate like himself.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:16 am
The boy's eyes on her made Hanya only slightly uncomfortable; he might have been staring at her because he thought she was an idiot, but either way he was paying attention to her, and that was just what she wanted. When he introduced himself, she gave him a brilliant smile. "Good to meet you, Veyes," she said, and when he mentioned that he had experience feeding, she wondered if he worked there more often than her. Or maybe he came from a farm. That was probably more likely, yes. She was always curious to see where else the Candidates had come from.
As she watered the next runnerbeast in line and listened to Veyes speak, she couldn't help giving a low, impressed whistle when he was done and turning to smile at him. "I've got to admit; you know a lot more than I do. I just feed what I'm told to feed, but you've got it figured out already. Lots of experience with Runners?" she asked curiously, watching him with the pitchfork. His next comment made her grin. "It's lucky when someone else has to do the mucking out," she agreed. "Takes the whole morning," she sighed theatrically.
Veyes' question actually gave her pause on her way out to refill her bucket, and she considered it for a moment and shrugged. "I don't do a lot of stable work, but it's part of my rotation. Usually I work in the gardens, or in the ktichen. Normal Candidate chores." The other question was easier to answer. "I've only been here a few sevendays, I suppose," she said. "I came between the Touching and the Hatching of the last clutch. So not really very long at all." Shrugging again, she smiled and turned the conversation on him.
"How about you? I don't think I've met you before. I'm sure I would have noticed you." Cue dazzling grin, slight flutter of eyelashes.
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Posted: Wed Apr 15, 2009 1:27 pm
"I'm from Ruatha Hold. So yea, been around a lot of Runners. But mostly I work on the family farm with herdbeasts. Not nearly as glamorous as the runners but you know...gotta feed the hold." he said with a nod as he rolled up his sleeves to start scooping out grain for buckets.
"Muckings not so bad when you think about all that its used for later. Just got to get over the smell. Most can't get past that part but its the best fertilizer out there." He paused to check the amounts he had put in each of the buckets and glanced around at all the stalls. "Well, once these are put out then the feeding should be taken care of. I guess after that, it's brushing and checking the hooves for stones....cracks and that sort of thing. I doubt these beasts will have any since there's a good stable master here to look at their feet but I'll do it so you don't have to worry about getting kicked."
He hauled the first buckets over to the stalls with ease. But it was pretty obvious why it was so easy for him, he actually was very muscular for a teen...probably not an ounce of fat on his body. "Yeah...I usually work in the meat locker - cleaning and butchering but I am there really early in the morning so that's probably why I've never seen you." Hooking the bucket to the side of the stall, he coaxed over a runner and took his mouth in his hand causing the beast to pop open his jaw. For a moment, he peered up on the top of the teeth then at the bottom then smiled and patted the tongue that was wiggling just beyond the beast's lips. "Ok, your teeth look good, boy." He let go of the beast's jaw and stepped back to acquire the next bucket of grain. "So you looking forward to the touching and hatching? Lot's of people speculating what's inside of those eggs."
"Mmm...I've only been here ummm..." he thought about it for a moment. "...about 2 sevendays, but since the women like my work in the meat locker, I really don't get called out for other chores unless like today, they had some new candidates they were trying out in there today and I got sent out here. It's a nice change of pace if ya ask me." He smiled at her and pushed aside his chestnut braid that was pinned neatly by a very feminine clip.
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 7:38 am
"I don't think it's less glamorous," Hanya said sweetly, keeping her attention riveted on the boy. She really didn't mind the work, in all honesty, but if he was willing to help her, then by all means she'd eagerly let him do so. When he pried a runner's mouth open, she bit back a giggle; it was funny how professional he looked doing that, but she supposed if he spent most of his time doing beascrafting work, it made sense. She imagined she'd look similarly professional doing weavercraft work, but that was rarely part of the Candidate chore roster. Unfortunately for Hanya.
"Mm," she answered vaguely about the touching and Hatching. In spite of the warnings that she'd most likely not Impress the first time around, the last Hatching had been a disappointment to her, and this time there was not even a queen egg on the sands to improve her mood. But she forced a sweet smile anyways. "I like the speculation," she admitted truthfully. "It's fun to listen to everyone argue about what the eggs are going to be." She had her own private list, but she wasn't about to share it with anyone, lest she be wrong.
"I like the little dragons, too," she added thoughtfully. Replacing the bucket and digging the remaining sweetroll out of her pocket, she went quickly up and down the line of stalls, giving a bit to each runnerbeast and glancing over at Veyes when he explained his situation to her. "Wow...it's rare that a Candidate finds one chore right away, or so I've been told," she said, holding back a snicker when his hand drew attention to his braid and hair clip. "That's very pretty," she said blithely, pointing and smiling winningly.
Hopefully that didn't mean she had just spent the past quarter of a candlemark flirting with yet another boy who fancied boys. Hanya hadn't realized that, coming to the Weyr, she wouldn't be able to throw a stone without hitting one of those. They frustrated her.
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Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 8:50 am
"Mmm...well most do if their only used to the food being put on the table for them rather than working for it themselves." He put up a couple more buckets of grain and checked each runner's mouth just before they got stick their heads into the bucket. He didn't seem bothered at all when one of the runner's got cocky and spit at him. Seemed like the whole thing was just apart of a routine he had years of experience at.
"Ah...well. I don't mind the speculation. It's fun to listen to, but color doesn't matter to me. I'd be happy with any color if I got lucky enough to impress. I hear most of the girls are hoping for a gold. Not sure what to think of that though; having one from what I've is a lot of hard work beyond just caring for a dragon. Although, I guess if I had an opportunity like that I might enjoy the challenge." He smiled thoughtful as he grabbed up a small tool and ducked under into a stall with one of the runners. While in there, he knelt down just enough to grab a foot and lift it up. "So you hoping for any particular color?" The runner didn't seem too thrilled with having his foot picked up but was too busy eating to make a fuss. Veyes peered at the hoof inspecting it then using the tool to pop out a tiny stone before moving on to the other feet.
"Yeah...but I guess lately they don't often have one that knows their way around a meat locker. Lots of the candidates don't make it through the first five minutes in there without getting sick." He chuckled a little as he ducked out of the stall and moved on to the next. "Can't imagine what their going to do when the real work happens. A dragon hatchling is a full time job. It's not going to feed itself for awhile."
He stopped and glanced around trying to figure out what she was talking about then realized it was the clip, "Oh that? It's my mother's...she gave it to me for good luck and so if I impress I don't have to cut my hair for flying." He patted the clip affectionately. "Mom doesn't like the short cuts on some of the dragon riders. She told me it'd be a crime to cut it all."
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:00 pm
"You learn pretty quick that you work for your food here," Hanya said, trying not to sound like a sulky child about it and failing somewhat. The work of a weavercraft apprentice was never so hard as the work of a Candidate was, and she was certainly still adjusting. Picking up a brush and letting herself into the stall of one of the runners whose mouth Veyes had already checked, she went over it quickly for any cuts and then brushed the worst of the dirt out of its coat, keeping an ear on Veyes as he spoke. His remarks about dragons were interesting enough, but Hanya couldn't help but quirk a smile. "There's no queen egg in the clutch this time around," she said.
"Some kitchen drudge Impressed the queen from the last clutch, and this time we haven't any golden eggs to look forward to. Girls will get greens, if they get anything at all," she went on. While greens certainly weren't golds, the idea of Impressing anything at all with so many other Candidates wanting the same thing made her smile a little bit. She would certainly win at the Impression game if she managed to win a dragon this time around. Slipping into the next stall, she raised an eyebrow at the boy and his talk of squeamishness.
"Most of taking care of dragons hasn't anything to do with meat at all," she said blithely, though her remarks might have been a bit misguided. "And it doesn't take long for the dragons to learn to eat on their own. The little ones from the last Hatching are big enough that they barely need any help already, from what I gather." She shrugged and let the subject drop after that, though. Time to focus again on the clip.
"It's very pretty, and I'm surprised your mother wanted to part with it," she said, and she wasn't just playing the flatterer either. The clip was very pretty, and if Hanya didn't wear her braids so differently from the way this boy did, she would have envied such a nice hairpiece. At least this meant that maybe Veyes wasn't as gay as she had worried. "I really hope the rumors about cutting hair aren't true," she said. "I don't think I could stand it if I had to cut mine."
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Posted: Sat Apr 18, 2009 3:40 pm
Veyes laughed as she sounded sulky, "Nothing wrong with working for your food; makes you appreciate it even more when you eat it." He really didn't remember a day he hadn't worked for the food on his table at home. Even when he was small there was always a chore or two that started off his day. Seemed like a fact of life that he had gotten used to more or less even if his imagination had him in positions where he could be "lazy" with someone else to serve him for a change. But, reality never offered him the visions that his dreams fervently offered so he never excepted to have that opportunity.
"Mmm...nothing wrong with a Green or a Blue for that matter. I think if I were a girl, I'd be ok with it. Greens get to travel as messengers, see the world...they can fight thread with flame....and well they're sleek and fast. Gold has a lot going for it but I think there's a bigger price that comes with it. But then again, I'm biased, the dragon that searched me was a Green and she's quite a dragon!" He grinned as he pulled up another hoof and inspected it thoroughly and used a couple tools to file the sharp end of the hoof down a bit. "Hayna, this one's got some scabs around his belly, so when you brush him don't get the comb caught down here. I think he was nipping at his tummy....must have been really itchy."
Grabbing another bucket of grain, he crossed over to the other side to continue the work. "Yeah...maybe...maybe not...but they're not going to be flying and killing it themselves anytime soon." He noticed how she jumped to another subject so he just let it slide. He was certain that the hatchlings weren't going to be flying off to take down their own herdbeast anytime soon. Even if they were walking, he guessed that he'd be helping the dragon with eating for awhile but it was a topic he'd ask L'thor or the Candidate Master about. He wanted to get his facts straight so he would be prepared. Actually he wished he could take some more in depth lessons because there were so many things he wanted to ask about.
As his mind wandered he almost didn't hear her talking about the clip, but then it finally sank in, "Ah...mmmm... my mother wanted a part of herself with me since she couldn't be here. It actually was a....umm....gift when she and my father got together." He paused a moment, "Well, from what I have seen and heard around the Weyr, its probably safer when you fly against thread to keep it short but I know that if your really good about braids you can get it pretty tight to your head. I know a couple really tight braids styles so I think I can manage with an extra clip or two."
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 11:55 am
Hanya didn't bother answering Veyes' comment about working for her food, mostly because she realized after a moment that she had just embarrassed herself. She shrugged briefly and got herself back together, listened to Veyes discuss the possibility of dragon colours, and then laughed a little bit. "You boys have so many more choices, you know. You can ride everything, except gold, but no boy would ever want to ride a gold, I can't imagine," she said with a little laugh, though she was admittedly somewhat jealous. Girls were more or less restricted to one colour, since golds were so rare and female blueriders came with a reputation in the same way that male greenriders did.
Moving quickly through the runnerbeasts, she listened to him speak of butchery some more and then let her mind wander. It wasn't important to her, in reality. If she Impressed a dragon, which she was quite sure she'd do even if it took her a while, she would deal with whatever came next. But for now, she would do chores and get to know the Candidates, she supposed. That was how life in the Weyr went. At least, she had noticed, the excess of physical labour was giving her a figure she hadn't realized she was capable of possessing.
When Veyes spoke about his mother, she stuck her head out of the stall in which she was working and looked at him. "That's wonderful," she said with a little sigh. That was lovely and romantic, certainly. And she listened as Veyes spoke about the idea of cutting hair to ride. She shuddered at that; her hair was her best feature, and she could never cut it. "I won't be cutting mine," she said, just a tinge defiantly. "Braids keep it better out of your face than cutting it short anyway." She nodded sagely.
"It just takes some time to put your hair up in a tight braid, but they're not hard after a few practices," she remarked, moving into the next stall. They were almost done, and Hanya was pleased with this; working alone it would have taken her the better part of another candlemark to get it done. "I don't know how clips will fit under rider gear, but I'm sure you'll be able to manage." She nodded sagely.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 12:39 pm
Veyes finished up the hooves and examining mouths then cleaned up his tools in a bucket. Most of the runners seemed in pretty good shape and that pleased Veyes quite a bit considering he had a lot of pride in the herdbeasts on his farm. Animals were just easy like that -give love -get a good return. Unlike men and women who were filled with complexities that he didn't quite understand yet even though he was learning a little more day by day.
He smiled a bit brighter at Hanya, "Thanks. I won't be cutting mine except for a trim if I can help it. But if it's the hair or riding, I'll cut it. The hair can grow back in time." He agreed with her wholeheartedly on the braids as he hung the tools back on the rack for the next day, "You're right. I'd rather braid it than cut it. I plan on trying that first before anything else."
He glanced around and counted out the chores to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything important but it appeared with the help they had scooted through these duties quickly and efficiently. Glancing back at Hanya, he had to smile as the sweat trickled down across her chest; much preferring a girl that pulled her weight. Certainly, she wasn't as used to hard labor but he could tell as the sweat tightened the clothes around her curves that she'd was eventually going to have several men noticing that she was toning out to be a very... enticing figure of a woman. "I think we're done here for the day, Hanya. I'm guessing I'll see ya at the Candidate Lessons?"
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 2:15 pm
Hanya nodded when Veyes remarked on choosing riding over braids, and after a moment's pause (her hair was essential to her well-being, or at least to her self-esteem) she agreed with him. "If it was dragon or hair, I'd choose dragon. But short of that, no one's coming near me with anything sharp." She gave a decisive nod, gave the last runner a quick brush and a once-over for any glaring injuries, and came out of the stall. Picking the worst clumps of hair out of the brush, she rolled it into a ball and flicked it outside, where it rolled away in the first breeze to sweep by. Replacing the brush in its box, she looked at Veyes and raised an eyebrow when she realized he was appraising her. Oh, really now? Two could play at that game.
And indeed, she liked the way he was built anyways. He couldn't have been all that much older than her, judging by his face, but at the same time, he was a good deal more muscular than a lot of the boys at the Weyr. In spite of the long hair, he could never have been mistaken for a girl; of that, she was certain. Batting her eyelashes at him, she smiled and fiddled with the strings of her half-apron. "I ought to sweep up just so the stablemaster doesn't complain to anyone about Candidates leaving things messy, but that's just a job for me." Picking up the broom, she made short work of the aisle, keeping an eye on Veyes as she did so.
"I'm sure I'll see you around, Veyes," she said sweetly, "maybe even before the next lesson. But if not before then, I'll make sure I find you then!" She flashed him a dazzling grin as she swept the remainder of dust and stable dirt outside, replacing the broom and going to stand beside Veyes for a moment. They were both sweaty enough that she felt no need to make contact with him; she'd try to bathe, or at least wash up, before she did anything more. Grinning at him nonetheless, she touched his arm lightly, flashed him a flirtatious wink, and started off toward lunch.
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Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 3:12 pm
Veyes smiled at her as she said her good byes rather boyishly bewildered by her. He never seemed to understand the opposite sex and all he could say was the day had ended on a good note. "See ya later, Hanya." He waved and wandered back towards the boys' dorm wondering what to make of all it. Maybe one day the awkward nature of his teenage years would finally reveal a few answers to him but for now all he could do was give the most curious smiles and enjoy the "view" - a good view indeed.
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