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 Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 6:19 am
S'kagi is waiting in the hallway when you arrive, apparently having recently dismissed someone else, he waits for you with his hair uncharacteristicly tied back, which reveales the scars that mar one side of his face. Between this and his equally unusual serious expression, the Bronze rider looks far more the figure of authority that he is, and rarely acts on.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 9:06 am
"...wanted to speak to me. Not you."
"Darling, he's angry."
"Then I want to know why." Footsteps paused at the entrance to the hallway. "I'm quite old enough to get this sorted out on my own, Saren. I don't want you fixing everything for me."
A deep sigh. "...Pet...just don't annoy him, all right? He's a big man - "
" - who answers to some very big dragons and their very powerful riders. He's not going to harm me. Trust me."
"...fine. I'll see you at the feast. Shall I take - "
"No."
"Squeep."
"...no, of course not."
"Just go."
"...are you angry with me?"
"At the moment I'm just exasperated. You can try for angry if you like."
"...Be careful."
One pair of footsteps departed. The other, softer and lighter, rounded the corner after a moment. Merya had done her best to banish the frazzled look from her face, but Saren was beginning to try her patience. She hadn't noticed how over-protective he was when it had just been the two of them travelling. Now, with all these people around, he was getting troublesome. How was she ever to make a name for herself if she was just the tailor's silly little girl?
...Ah, that would be him. And Saren had been right; he didn't look happy. Beru gave a soft "squeep" of worry and burrowed further into Merya's arms. For her part, Merya just looked tired. "Just tell me what's happening, please," she said wearily. "Saren's worried, I'm worried, and I haven't the faintest clue what's going on."
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 9:11 am
At the concern in her voice, S'kagi's harsh expression softened a little, and he looked a little more like the relaxed bronze rider that joked quietly with any of the Weyrfolk that invited it, then he glanced at the flit and the softness vanished again into a serious, blank sheet.
"I'd like to ask you quickly if you're familiar with the rules of what is and isn't allowed on the hatching ground?" He asked, though from where his eyes were pointing, the answer he was looking for was fairly obvious.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 9:24 am
Merya sighed, running a hand through her hair. Beru was small enough to support with one arm, and she was clinging on very tightly: Merya could very well have let go and it wouldn't have made a shred of difference. "I'm familiar with absolutely nothing, sir - you may consider me an absolute neophyte and explain everything to me as though I'm as old as I look." Which was about twelve. "Though from the look you're giving Beru I'd hazard a guess that she's the problem."
"Squeeee..." Beru, who could sense some little of what the matter was, obviously didn't want to be a problem.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 9:37 am
"I'm surprised no one told you then before the hatching. Flits aren't allowed -anywhere- on the Hatching grounds. Although the ones I saw today were comparatively well behaved, the chances are too high that one of them will change it's mind and decide to cause trouble. Also the queen dragons don't tend to like them around their eggs, and there's a dangerous chance that a distracted hatchling might go between. Thats of course a worst case scenario, but however remote the posibility, it's still a possibility." He explained, his tone still serious.
"As you've guessed you're not the only person who'll be spoken to today, but I'd like you to be aware of the rule... so as a reminder you'll be helping out with latrine duty for a sevenday."
Not a physically terrible punishment, but it had been chosen for being unpleasent. There wasn't really anyone he could think of who -liked- latrine duty though they might not mind other chores.
"Your flit won't be taken away, and you certainly -won't- be confined to your room, but if I see it on the sands again I may have to choose a steeper punishment." There was a slight warning in his tone, and also a heavy indication he didn't want to have to. "Are we at an understanding?" He dropped his chin slightly, raising his eyebrows.
He was trying to be fair about this, but it was part of the rules of the Weyr. He was going to have to look into how she'd missed being informed of this before the hatching, but then, with the overcrouding, perhaps he should be more surprised that there hadn't been a larger number of people without that crutial bit of informaton. it wasn't as though there was a shortage of flitts in the Weyr of late.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 10:13 am
Merya's first reaction was to bristle silently, invisibly. That wasn't fair. She hadn't known! He should be punishing whoever was supposed to tell her -
But then she thought better of it. As unpleasant as the task itself would be, she wasn't the only one. She'd get a chance to meet some others, probably Candidates...hadn't she seen a flit down on the sands with one of the girls who'd Impressed? This could be a valuable opportunity if she swung it right, not least because she needed to know everything possible about her still relatively new pet. Besides, there was one thing she did have to agree with Saren on and that was that annoying this rider - whoever he was - would be a very bad idea. Added to which, this was a decent enough start at getting herself a good reputation. If this fellow was important enough to be the one doing the telling off, he was someone to get in with as quickly as possible.
"We are," she said, smiling a little in obvious relief (which was only partly feigned). "And thank you for not making it any worse. Just tell me where to go and when, and you can consider it done. Now that I know, you won't see Beru on the sands again."
But you will see me again, Mister Dragonrider, she added silently, if I have anything to do with it. And under much better circumstances.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 10:45 am
The scarred dragonrider relaxed slightly, and nodded, his own releif not feined.
"Good. I'll look into talking to people and find out how this information is slipping through the cracks." He assured. "There will be other candidates doing similar chores, you should be able to group up with them." He gave her the directions to the various latrines in the Weyr, and the places where she could find the cleaning supplies as well.
He couldn't imagine she was pleased, but she was taking it better than he'd been expecting. "That was all I wanted to talk to you about. Go enjoy the feast."
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 11:04 am
At first she was too busy taking in the directions to notice, but finally part of the dragonrider's little speech caught up with Merya. She blinked in surprise. "...hold on just a moment - did you say...other Candidates?" She gave a little laugh - not an amused laugh, but one of confusion and slight nervousness. "I'm sorry, sir, but you're mistaken... I'm not a candidate. Saren's here on business, and I just came along with him." She shrugged a little, suddenly feeling sharply out of place. Perhaps she'd been mistaken in thinking she might get anywhere here. - No, she was being hasty. He'd just been misinformed, or assumed, or something like that. There was no sense in thinking he'd only be glad to see her about the place if she was a Candidate.
How did you get to be a Candidate, anyway? She'd have to ask someone about that. Not this fellow. But someone. And not really because she was interested in being one herself, just to know. To understand.
...But that wasn't true either, was it? She was interested. Dragons meant power. They also meant an excuse to stay, and to shake Saren loose at last. If someone said she could do it, she'd jump at the chance. But she didn't know how to begin - or if she could even begin at all. Information had to come first. The Hatching feast might be a good place to start.
"...Don't think I'm trying to get out of anything here," she added, suddenly realising that her words might have been misconstrued. "I just...thought I'd let you know." That she had no place here. - No, no, she was not going to start thinking like that. There was something for her here - and even if there wasn't, she'd make something.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 11:13 am
"Ah, my appologies." He didn't realize the impression he'd made on her was not the one she was displaying. "Perhaps I was mistaken." He admitted. "There are candidates who will be doing similar duties, you can meet them at the the Baracks. Do you know where the candidates stay?" He asked.
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Posted: Sat May 02, 2009 12:18 pm
"Not yet," Merya said, brightening somewhat, "but I'm sure I very soon shall! There'll be plenty of people at the feast I can ask. I shan't trouble you further." She bowed her head respectfully. "I hope we see one another under more pleasant circumstances next time, sir - and that you get a chance to enjoy the feast yourself!"
With that, she hurried off. Beru was still clinging to her tunic, but with a lot less urgency. Thank goodness for that. Things could have turned out a lot worse than they had.
She just hoped Saren wouldn't find out...
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