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 Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 8:58 am
Ren Felt he had just been through the worst day of his young life, it was late and he had just got back from latrine duty almost dead on his feet. His hands knees and elbows were all grazed with white scrapes and more bloody scratches where he had been pushed, tripped and pulled to the floor, although no one had struck him a blow yet the skinny lad had a nice bruise forming under his hair where he had struck the edge of a table when he went down and it had given him a headache all day, plus ontop of his own duties he had taken as many others latrine duty as possible in a futile attempt to sooth the ire of some of the other candidates.
Now as the dark grew more heavy he slipped down to the weyr bowl and across to the lake, casting a brief look around to make sure he was alone before stripping off his clothing soiled by the unpleasant days work and down into the water. The water was freezing and quickly brought goose bumps to decorate his freckled skin but he gritted his teeth and struck out into deeper waters, it was better and enduring more of the other candidates verbal and physical abuse in the group baths. And soon he was scrubbing his skin raw in an attempt to get the taint from his skin. Soaping his hair with scented sandstone. Anything to get the smell and the feel away, in fact he scrubbed so long that his fingers wrinkled and the rest of his was red raw with the scrubbing and he had long since gone numb to the chill of water.
After a full candle mark he climbed out and shivering dryed himself and dressed, glancing back to the light of the candidate brackets and then turning away. He didn’t think he could face going back there and walking down the long corridor to his room. And even then he would have to face his bunkmates
None of it sounded appealing. But where else had he to go? Only one name came to mind. L’thor. Maybe he could sleep on his floor, if he wasn’t as mad at him as everyone else that was. He wrapped his arms round his body and shuddered, that would be just another nail in the coffin of any chance of a single good thing coming out of the day.
But he guessed one mouth or set of blows was better that 50 odd. Mind made up he headed inside, catching the first dragon riders arm he was sure he didn’t know but wore a green riders colours he asked if he knew where L’thors weyr was, it seemed he was lucky at least in that as the Rider was able to give him pretty clear directions. It didn’t take Nehren long after that to come to the right Weyr, he softly knocked on the door. “L’thor….” He called. “It’s me Ren, please open the door.”
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:11 am
L'thor was in the bath, and didn't hear the call or the knocking. Dusk however, dozing on his bed, was more aware and appeared in the air outside the weyr. On spotting Nehren, he squeaked a greeting before vanishing again. This time he popped up in front of L'thor and transmitted the image of Nehren's miserable face. L'thor swore and leapt out of the water, causing River and Rust to take wing in shock at having their bath disturbed.
So it was that L'thor pulled the door open dripping wet with only a towel around his waist and three flitts zooming unertainly about in the air behind him. "Ren! Come in!" he stepped aside to let the young candidate enter, worry creasing his brow. He looked terrible. He had heard that Veyes and Nehren had been among those down at the lake, and he had expected both lads to get a hard time but he hadn't expected things to get physical. The candidate master would prevent such things... wouldn't he? Well as soon as he found out it was going on he would... Right?
"Sit down Ren," L'thor went on, tucking the towel more securely around his waist and heading across the room to place a chair before the pleasantly crackling fire. "What happened?" he asked, dragging another chair over and dropping down into it, looking at the youth attnetivly.
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:30 am
Relief flooded him when the door was opened, although the flash of the brown flit had surprised him as he was quite sure that L’thor had not had a brown last time he saw him. Maybe it belonged to his room mate. But that didn’t matter because he was soon being invited in…by a half naked L’thor. His cheeks instantly coloured and he diverted his gaze. It might have got a more embarrassing reaction still from him had he not been nearly so cold from the chilled bath he had taken or so miserable. But when L’thor asked what happened he hesitated.
Had L’thor not heard about the gathering by the lake and their punishment. He had come to think the whole weyr knew during that day, even the usual friendly kitchen staff had been cold to him but maybe it hadn’t reached the majority of the riders?
He edged past the green rider and into the offered chair if only so that he could stare at the fire instead of the rider while he answered. And his body instantly gratefully absorbed the warmth. Making his skin tingle and the orange freckled on his face all the more obvious. “Well…” he started taking a deep breath and looking down at his hands in his lap. “I’m not sure you heard what happened by the lake,but we didn’t mean any harm and I didn’t steal anything…I would never do that but we got all the candidates punished and we had to clean all the latrines ontop of our usual chores and the others found out I was there so…” he paused and swallowed most of it having come out in a rush so far. “they weren’t vey happy.” He finished. Turning his hands over to look at the grazed palms. “everyone hates us.” He quickly clamed up and rubbed his eyes because he felt about ready to cry again and that would do no one any good.
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 9:46 am
L'thor swore quietly and got to his feet, moving quickly across the room to shed his towel and don a loose shirt and trousers of linen. Squeezing the worst of the water out of his hair, he then strode to an alcove in the wall and retrieved a skin of wine and two cups. Nehren might not want any, but he did, and he felt he should offer. A drink helped him to calm down after a horrible day, but after being punished over wine he supposed Ren might not feel very kindly disposed towards the stuff.
"I'd heard about the lake business," he confirmed with a nod, "and I know nobody meant harm. That sort of thing does happen quite often but... stealing isn't usually involved. I'm glad to hear you weren't silly enough to take anything without asking," he said with a faint smile. Then his face grew serious again, and he shook his head. "I don't know what the candidate master is thinking, punishing every candidate in the Weyr is madness... He isn't doing anything about what the others are doing to you?" Perhaps he just didn't know yet. As a bluerider, L'thor wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt. Had he been a bronze rider, he would have been certain that the man was aware of what was going on but choosing to ignore it.
"Are those grazes clean?" L'thor asked after a moment as he opened the skin, "And would you like a drink?"
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 1:54 pm
Made a small show off not looking as L’thor changed although his face was as red as the fire his eyes had suddenly become so desperately fixed on. He held his hands out to the warmth after a time with a sigh, it felt nice but at the same time the heat prickled against the more bloody grazes, his hair still slightly damp was dripping every now and then onto his shoulders and slid down his back sending a shiver following its path down his spine.
He shook of the offered cup quickly, he would be happy never to touch wine again after that, unfortunately the drink had become bad by association in his mind now. He guessed that’s how the other candidates saw him now, he had done nothing wrong. Just for the first time decided to actually try and be sociable in a group and now he was bad by association. He pulled his leg up onto the chair and rested his chin on the grazed knee, skin and scratches showing through the new hole in his pants, luckily he knew how to mend it but that would have to wait now. “I don’t understand.” He muttered softly. “People take stuff from the kitchen all the time, even without asking I’ve seen them do it when I was working there, why was this so different?” it was as much a self asked question as one directed at L’thor but it was something that was a constant press on his mind now.
He turned his hazel gaze to L’thor and every inch of misery and pain he felt over the whole thing was reflected there, he had held it back all day keeping his expression schooled and calm while all he wanted to do was shout and make everyone understand what had happened. He couldn’t force it behind the mask now, not infront of L’thor who he trusted and whats more the only man in the whole Weyr who wasn’t angry at him. “L’thor.” He voice was quite and full of concern. “what if the dragons see it, what if none of them will want me anymore.” From the way his voice cracked as he spoke it was clearly another issue that had come out of the whole incident that was most concerning him.
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Posted: Tue May 05, 2009 2:25 pm
L'thor offered him a gentle smile and shook his head as he poured out just one cup of wine. "You did no wrong; the dragons won't judge you. Even the other candidates will forget in the end." He hoped. Nothing like this had happened the whole time he had been at the Weyr. This might be a storm that did not soon blow over. He felt for all of those involved, the ones who actually had stolen inclusive.
"People do sometimes take from the kitchens without asking," he went on, "but you are not supposed to... When it is something expensive like good wine, it will not be overlooked like swiping yourself a meatroll would. In the eyes of the Weyr, taking the wine was theft. It was very good wine too, I hear, meant for a Lord Holder. Not having it to serve to him right away embarrassed the Weyr. We cannot afford to be embarrassed, to show badly; there is enough bad feeling against us from many Holders as it is."
He couldn't quite get his head around how anyone could have thought swiping large quantities of wine would just be overlooked. With the Weyr so crowded, resources were strained, especially luxuries. He wished he knew more details of what had happened, who had taken what and so on. Rumors were starting up now, but it was too soon for him to work out which ones were true and which false.
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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 2:33 pm
The boy seemed to relax for the first time that day at the words, his shoulders slipping down to a slopped angle and his arms folded ontop of his knees dropped half way down his legs as the muscles loosened. He lifted his head and looked back at L’thor with a small smile. “thankyou, that makes me feel better.” He assured him. In fact it was one of the things that had been nagging at him all day and increasing the pounding of his headache.
Even though the information about the wine disturbed him it was better to know and understand and he nodded turning steady gaze back to the fire as he licked his lips. “L’thor can I stay here tonight? I won’t be any trouble I promise and all I need it a blanket I can sleep on the floor. I just need a night to be away from them please…” he bit his lips not wanting to sound to whiny he had to put up with it but he wanted a few hours at least.
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Posted: Mon May 11, 2009 8:38 am
Well... He didn't see why not. wasn't like he was planning to entertain any guests this evening after all, and 'Kain wouldn't mind the lad's presence. He smiled at Ren and gave him a nod. "Certainly, not a problem, I've got plenty of spare blankets and pillows and such... Have you had dinner yet? I can go down and fetch some up for you if not."
He wasn't going to see Ren going hungry! If he could help it, he wasn't going to see he roughed up anymore either. If he could get an audience with the headwoman or the weyrwoman, he might be able to persuade them that their candidate master with a sadistic little turd who needed a sharp kick up the backside.
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