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 Posted: Sat Oct 03, 2009 10:02 pm
By the time a third roar echoed through the small hallway Panata was pretty sure he could no longer ignore the complaints of his stomach. He'd been doing his best since his last meal to ignore the rumbles that erupted here and there, the small pangs nothing more than a desire to snack freely like he'd done before, and with a heavy sigh the small youth placed his hand beneath his ribs. Panata could feel the movements and protests beneath his fingertips but he shook his head and reminded his body that there was no time for snacking, no time to try and break the routine that had been pressed upon all the candidates.
Still, it was rather hard to do for a boy who'd before been able to sneak snacks in between his training at the Hall. The other Apprentices had done so as well nearly as often as he did, and for a while the youth felt like making up a lie and saying he needed to eat more often for his health. That probably would not go over well, and would get him ousted as a Candidate for not being healthy, not to mention lying was something Panata did not want to do.
" . . . . . "
His thoughts tied up his walking, causing him to entirely stop in the hall. The rumbling of his stomach was sure to catch the attention of anyone around, so loud it was slightly hard to ignore, and his face turned pink as the sounds continued.
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:22 am
In retrospect, it had been a bad idea to try and carry three sacks of supplies at the same time.
It had seemed like a great idea at the time. The more you could carry in one trip, the less trips you had to make. And the faster he got the boring manual labor over with, the more time he'd have later to do interesting things. Besides, it wasn't like the sacks were back-breakingly heavy; they weren't exactly light, but most of the difficulty came from how bulky they were.
Unfortunately, with only two arms, Kamihan couldn't figure out a way to balance all three at once that didn't a) put most of the bulk on one side and take up half the hallway in the process, b) make one of his arms more tired than the other, thus making him waste time switching a bag from one arm to the other halfway through the trip, or c) severely impair his vision and/or ability to move. Briefly, he considered the relative merits of simply setting the third bag on the ground and sliding it along with his feet... but then there was the danger of someone either stepping on it, or a corner catching on something and tearing. Which would result in the contents spilling everywhere, and a lecture. He would try it anyway, if nothing else came to mind, but...
Well, the most obvious solution would be to recruit a second pair of hands. Clearly the awesomeness that was Kamihan ought to be able to do this.
He perked up at the distinctly audible rumble, zeroing in on the source of the sound. It wasn't exactly hard to spot the flush of embarrassment spreading across the boy's face. Temporarily setting down his burden to make a beeline for the boy, he called what he assumed to be a friendly, "Hey!"
Once within range, he commandeered one of Panata's arms and added in a quieter, more conspiratorial tone, "I can help you snag something from the kitchen. But you gotta help me out with something first. Deal?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 04, 2009 8:50 pm
Panata nearly jumped out of his skin when his arm was grabbed, completely unaware that the 'hey' from before had been directed at him, though he managed to stay calm as he turned his face up towards the stranger who held him. He didn't recognize him, though there weren't that many candidates around he should have known better, but Panata mostly kept to himself or spent his spare time with Meisir.
It was the mention of food that drew him from his thoughts of trying to place the face, and almost immediately he nodded his head up and down. Who cared if it involved manual labor. Panata could do manual labor since he was. . . used to it. The bellows didn't pump themselves after all, nor did the grinding wheels move alone.
"I don't mind helping you at all, if you need it."
He was the friendly type after all, the go-getters who lend a hand when needed or asked, and to Panata the added option of possible food only served to cement the deal between the young men. Who cares if this kid thought he was a glutton - needs of the body came before relationships sometimes. Even if it was rude.
"Tell me what you need me to do."
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 8:15 pm
"Great! Awesome!" The somewhat intrusive hand on arm was changed to a companionable clap on the shoulder, then he made his way back to the alcove where he'd deposited his burden, safely out of the way of trampling feet for now.
"So, hey, I'm headed to the kitchen anyway, right? And I have to take these there, and I thought it'd save time to carry three at once." Upon closer inspection, how he'd managed to get the three bulky sacks this far was a mystery. "Only I can't really see in front of me when I'm carrying all three of them. And I. Um. I think I might have accidentally almost run over some girl. Which I feel bad about. But anyway!" His broad grin had faded slightly at the mention of the girl (her startled face at him running into her, that hadn't been a good feeling) but returned just as quickly and with redoubled brightness.
"If you could get one, I can get the other two, and I've got some friends in the kitchen who I think I could get to help out with your complaining stomach there, friend." Without even bothering to get an affirmative, he re-shouldered his two, leaving the lightest (or at least, he thought it was the lightest, he'd left that one closest to the wall, right?) for his new friend.
Oh right, he should learn his new friend's name. "I'm Kamihan, by the way."
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:28 pm
"My name is Panata, it is a pleasure to meet you."
Panata easily lifted the bag over his shoulders, staggering a bit because of the sudden change it balance it brought over him, and he smiled up brightly none the less at his current companion. It wasn't heavy as much as it was awkward, but it certainly wasn't a load he couldn't bear. His back would smart a little from the impact tomorrow though.
"I'm still not too familiar with the layout of this place, so I will follow you if that is alright."
He kept his words short and sweet, his tone respectful. Even if this Kamihan was being quite familiar towards him, Panata still wanted to be polite and true to his way of being raised. Sure, he probably would relax once they had gotten moving and he had food in his stomach, but for now. . . .
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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:31 pm
Kamihan, for his part, seemed delighted to just have someone to talk to. That was one of the worst parts of candidate chores, when you got assigned to a job that was one person only. It wasn't like you were ever completely isolated in the tight-knit community of the Weyr, but sometimes when all the people around you were too busy to chat...
"No problem! Just follow me, I know all the shortcuts." He chuckled. "Or at least, I ought to, I've been doing this for turns and turns." Since he was old enough to walk. And indeed, the tall boy hardly had to think about where he was going at all, moving with a quick easy pace.
"So, Panata. Don't think I've seen you around before, so I'm guessing you're not a weyrbrat..." He quirked an eyebrow, shooting the other boy a crooked smile. "Been here long? Or will this clutch be your first?" Sure, it seemed like at times the eggs were all anyone was talking about... but that's because they were exciting!
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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:48 pm
Panata hurried along behind Kamihan and did his best to listen to the questions tossed his way, his mind sorting how to answer them back without seeming to want to be something of a chatterbox.
"I'm not from here, I'm from the Crafthall. I was studying there to be a Smithcrafter, more specifically a Glasscrafter, but before the Hall I was Holdborn."
He smiled back at the expression Kamihan gave him, and he dared to continue.
"I've actually been here for only a few sevendays, but I really like the Weyrlife. It was a little hard to adjust to since everyone expected me to have a different opinion on things, but for now I seem to be doing well. And yes, this will be my first clutch."
Just saying that brought a bright red of happiness to the dirty-blond's cheeks, and he pulled the load he carried a bit closer to his frame. Panata's heart pounded happily in his chest at the mere thoughts of the eggs, of perhaps getting to Impress and being with a dragon of his very own. It would probably be the greatest thing in his life to happen to him, this upcoming hatching. Or if not the greatest, at least it would be considered life changing.
"But I've had experience with firelizards, so I don't think I'm that worried about what we're going to do on the sands. It seems easy enough to understand, and I hope everything goes really smoothly. Is this your first, or have you been around long?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:23 pm
"Glasscraft, huh? Sounds exciting!" Kamihan had never really gone after a craft, born in the Weyr and never much interested in life beyond being a Candidate. Still, while none of the crafts sounded quite as enthralling as being a potential dragonrider, Kamihan liked hearing about them. Always fun to hear what life was like in the holds and halls of Pern.
Kamihan nodded approvingly at Panata's confidence. "Good for you, keep that attitude. They say that dragonets can sense emotions, and all; if you're scared, they'll know it, and if you feel confident, they'll know that too. So it's better to not worry!" Head held high, tone casual, Kamihan looked for all the world like a veteran of hatchings... or at least, he wanted to think so. "You'll do fine, I'm sure. Every now and then a dragonet gets upset, or can't find Theirs and they run over someone, but they don't really want to hurt people."
They reached the kitchens, and Kamihan gratefully set down his burden, stretching briefly before moving on. He gestured for Panata to do the same, and to follow him towards where the food was. Calling back as he did so, "So what do apprentice glasscrafters do, anyway?"
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Posted: Sun Oct 11, 2009 12:52 pm
"I mostly work the bellows, since there are others who would rather do all the grinding. It's our jobs to keep the temperatures just right for the glass to form without any imperfections, and it's actually a lot harder than you'd think. It took me a few months before I learned just how much pressure I needed during each pump to keep the temperature from suddenly flaring."
Panata shifted the pack on his back before letting it slide down during the break Kamihan had offered as the entered the kitchen. He'd been rather quiet, mostly answering questions, due to the fact he was trying to memorize where everything was. He knew how to get to the kitchen of course but sometimes he wasn't so sure about it.
"As for. . .what you were saying about the dragonets hurting people on the sands, I'm not afraid of being hurt. If it's something I did and it's my fault, then I don't mind. It's when others around me get hurt and I didn't try, or I watch others die because we weren't doing anything, I think that's when I'd get upset."
His pace quickened to catch up to Kamihan, not wanting to keep talking to his companion's back the whole time. It was a shock of a difference how small Panata was, and how much older it made Kamihan look to be seen with him.
"You don't think we'll have any problems, do you? I've heard other candidates say that the last two clutches have been fairly peaceful so we should hope for another one just the same."
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 10:50 pm
Kamihan stretched expansively, then let both arms swing loosely at his side, half-shrugging as he did so. "I don't think there ought to be problems. I mean, yeah, some dragons come out of the shell a little more aggressive than others. And some are just so eager to find Theirs that they'll bowl you right over without meaning to?" He'd seen this happen on numerous occasions, sometimes coming away with only minor injuries, sometimes far more serious. A lot of it depended on chance. But he wasn't about to try to scare Panata! Or anyone, for that matter; Hatchings were supposed to be an exciting occasion to look forward to! "And I think I agree with you on the other people getting hurt thing. But it is what it is, y'know?"
"If you'll excuse me just a second..." Kamihan spotted a worker he knew, and immediately attached himself to her, sporting the most pathetic I-am-a-half-starved-holdless-orphan-feed-me look he could manage. After a few moments, she waved him off, and he returned to Panata with a triumphant expression.
"Ahhh... Here we are." Kamihan indicated a table with a plate of fresh bread laid out, and grabbed a warm loaf, grinning. "There ya go. Thanks for the help! Without you, might not have made it without casualties." An added wink and his lighthearted tone made it clear that he was just joking around, but he really did appreciate Panata's lending a hand. It was always dull trying to get through chores on your own. He liked it better when he could work with other Weyrfolk, whether worker, rider, or Candidate.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 11:28 am
Panata didn't quite understand the joke about causalities, but he laughed at it none the less. It was good to have someone to laugh with like this, he'd been feeling lonely since coming to the Weyr from the Hall, seeing as he'd left a few friends behind. He'd hoped to make a few new ones here in the Weyr, and so far so good. Perhaps at the end of all this he could consider Kamihan something of a friend.
"Thank you, thank you. My stomach was growling so badly I didn't think I'd survive, so you've managed to prevent a death as well."
It was a trite attempt at making the same kind of joke, but Panata seemed to fail rather seriously at doing so. Jokes weren't really his thing, unless the jokes happened to be pranks that ended up with laughter (or yelling), so it was probably in his best interest to learn to think of a few for the next time he met up with the older boy.
As he bit into the bread, a look of pure joy spread across his small face.
"This...this is really good! Bread when warm is so delicious!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:57 pm
"I know," Kamihan enthused, "it's why I'm down here all the time. There's just something fantastic about getting it while it's freshest." That, and the kitchen felt most like home to him... He'd practically grown up here, his mother and most of her friends all being Weyr cooks.
He snagged a loaf for himself and took a few bites, eyeing Panata thoughtfully. After a few moments of this contemplation, he nodded, half to himself. "You'll do fine," he stated, with all the calm certainty of a self-proclaimed expert on the subject. "Might not Impress right away -- not many people Impress at their first hatching, it takes a while to find just the right dragon. But you will. I'd bet anything on that."
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2009 4:47 pm
"Bet what? Me Impressing on my first try or eventually finding the right dragon?"
Panata was confused with the way Kamihan had worded his sentence, though it was after he'd asked his question that he figured out what the boy had meant - that Panata would eventually get a dragon. It may not have been at the upcoming Hatching, but perhaps any of them after that.
It wasn't particularly an ego boost, but he'd take it. Someone was trying to tell him that they believed in him, and he liked that feeling.
"Do you believe you'll Impress this time around? How many times have you stood?"
Wanting to know more wasn't really a crime, not in the least, and Panata was at the very least curious - this boy was Turns older than him and a Weyrbrat to boot. Panata was young and Holdborn, raised there and in the Halls. It was like he knew nothing about how things worked.
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