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 Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 12:14 pm
"C'mon, Kashimeera! You need to get to Mother or she will have your hide. You know she came across some fabric for you." Canoake shouted at her little sister not really caring whether the girl followed her instructions or not.
They were weyrfolk. They looked out for each other and everyone knew everyone else's business. Not always the ideal circumstance, considering her views and opinion of herself but what were you going to do? Stand until you couldn't stand no more and then hope to find some mindless task that would keep you content until you crumpled with old age and someone to warm the furs with that also kept you interested.
Canoake blew at a stay hair and sighed. Today, she was told she had to go work in the storerooms. Not that she minded. Much better than cleaning the privy or raking out the ashes but she would much rather be outside in the bleak sunlight trying to catch favor with one of the riders.
She tried not to bite her nails as green eyes stared out in contemplation. It was a nasty, nervous habit but at least she didn't chew on rope or something else that would ruin her looks. Bleh, what a day! Keen eyesight spotted a boy who looked otherwise unoccupied. "Perfect," she grinned to herself and started over inhis direction. "Oi there!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2009 5:27 pm
Tofir looked up, his thoughts of the firelizard egg he'd recently received interrupted by a woman's voice. He followed the source of the voice to a young woman he'd noticed before as he went about his work in the Weyr, but never had occasion to talk to. Her dark hair was blowing somewhat in one of the little, omnipresent breezes. He looked past that to the green eyes and could feel a familiar tingling in his gut. He could fall for this woman if he let himself. Easy. Even if he tried not to, there was an excellent chance he would anyway if she put forth the slightest effort. He knew himself well enough for that. After all, he was a mindhealer. Shardit.
"Yes?" he asked, standing up. "Are you all right?"
He ran a hand through his close-cropped dark hair. It was a pointless exercise, since it was too short and wiry to be upset by something like that. He could neither fix it nor put it in disorder that way. It was something to do with his hands. He liked to keep his hands occupied. When he was studying, he used to drum his fingers and the heels of his hands on the table he was using, or on his thigh. People at the Hall used to tease him that he'd gotten lost on his first day and come to the Healers instead of the Harpers because of it.
He walked over to her wearing a good-natured grin. "I'm Tofir, by the way. I work in the infirmary here most of the time."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 9:52 am
Canoake laughed. It was a utterly delightful and practiced thing. She had worked had to make sure she didn't have a tinkling laugh that could shatter glass nor did she guffaw like some slack-jawed dimglow. Oh yes, the game was on. As usual, she was in her flowing skirts and a simple shirt with the sleeves rolled up.
The fellow before her, what did he say his name was? Tofir? Not a bad name. Swaying slowly over to where he was at, Canoake gave him her best smile. "I am just fine and thank you for asking. I was just calling because I do not believe we have met. My name is Canoake."
She shifted her weight and put a hand on her hip. "The infirmary? How convenient. It just so happens that I must go down to the storerooms and move some supplies from here to there. Maybe something down there might belong to you or rather the healers."
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 2:48 pm
The woman's laughter was exceedingly pleasant to listen to. If Tofir had been feeling less at ease, it might have struck him that no one laughs that perfectly without practicing. Usually people laughed too loudly, or they tended to wheeze or hiccup or something as they laughed, but not this woman. Her laugh was delightful, and brought a genuine smile to Tofir's face, even though he wasn't quite sure what had prompted her laughter to begin with. He was confident enough in himself that he didn't spare much thought for the idea that she might be laughing at something he'd done. It didn't seem likely, and even if that was the case, he'd done nothing to be ashamed of.
Tofir appreciated Canoake's approach. It seemed that the Weyr took the femininity out of so many women. They wanted to prove that they were as capable as men, perhaps, and so they took on masculine mannerisms and even lost that lovely swaying gait that was so pleasant to watch on women. The exception being the over-sexed women who were so aggressive about their sexuality and their openness that they weren't particularly attractive to him. Easy lays, sure, but not the sort of girls who held his interest. Someone had to be special to do that. Canoake seemed to be one of those rare specimens who had retained her femininity without going overboard.
"Canoake," Tofir repeated, mimicking her pronunciation and inflection precisely. In his head, he wrote it beside a picture of her. It wasn't ideal, but it was as close to the written word as he could get in this instance, and his eidetic memory was limited to words and pictures that he could see. Not that he was in much danger of forgetting her any time soon. Not as long as he remained a healthy male.
"It's a real pleasure to meet you," he continued truthfully. His eyes flickered down to her hips as she shifted her weight, ostensibly following the movement of her hand. He quickly returned his gaze to her face. He could certainly be guilty of staring at a woman's breasts from time to time, but not while he was speaking to her. He'd learned the hard way that was a good way to get hit with something.
"Really? Would you like help, or just company? I know my way around the infirmary, after all."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 6:00 pm
Oh yes, this one would do nicely. With a friend in the healer hall, it would be easier if...when...she quickly squelched that thought. Going for the company route, Canoake listened to him try to pronounce her name. He did a rather good job actually and giving him a grin, she touched his arm -just- so and spoke. "Well, the job I can handle myself. It is a matter of sorting and making sure they go in their proper place. After all, if everything is where it should be then it makes it easier on the next person who comes through later."
Sound kind and caring. Like this is the type of work she preferred to do every day. Removing her hand, she tossed her hair just so and one of her hoops glittered. "I can count my blessing though. Store room work and inventory I can handle. Anything messy," she gave a slight shudder and appeared a little younger than her eighteen turns,"and my stomach is all in knots."
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Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 7:50 am
Tofir stiffened briefly when Canoake touched his arm. His flesh was bare because it was a mild day and his tunic was short-sleeved, and so her flesh had come into contact with his. She would probably think that his flinch had something to do with being in such close proximity to her, and it did, but not for the reasons she was probably thinking. Tofir preferred to avoid incidental or accidental physical contact. He knew that he was a very clean person, but there was no way of knowing how assiduously everyone else in the world bathed, or how often they washed their hands. At Healer Hall he'd had a dorm mate who saw nothing wrong with masturbating and then going about his business. Tofir had always been careful never to touch anything he knew that person had handled.
"Sorting. Yes, I'm sure you're more than capable of handling that sort of task without assistance. As one of the people who's likely to be 'the next person who comes through later' I'd like to thank you in advance for doing it." He wasn't sure if it was a chore assigned to her by the candidate master or a task she'd chosen to take on herself, but his appreciation was genuine. He hated organizing things, but he did like them to be organized, and so if he could get someone else to do it, that was a happy thing.
He was truly grateful, however, when she removed her hand from his arm. He was used to people touching him casually, but usually they did it through his clothes. It would figure that the one day he didn't expect to run into anyone and had world a short-sleeved tunic he would run into someone beautiful who felt like touching him. He should have just worn a more loosely woven long-sleeved tunic. Then this wouldn't have been such an issue. Tofir smiled and hoped she wouldn't be offended by his reaction to her touch.
"In truth, I really dislike working with messy tasks, too. You have no idea how poor most people's concept of hygiene is. And, for that matter, how many diseases can be transferred through contact or exchange of body fluids...." He trailed off, remembering that most girls who weren't healers probably wouldn't want to hear the gruesome details of his work. And Canoake had just said she didn't like messy things. He really shouldn't pursue this topic any further.
"Sorry. Shall we go?"
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Jan 23, 2010 3:50 pm
She noticed the flinch but chose not to act upon it. Canoake had become very good at reading body language in order to get what she wanted, when she wanted... Or at least, get closer to whatever her goal was for that current time. Giving a slow but deliberate wink, she moved back and looked over her shoulder in the direction of the store rooms. This seemed to be going her way so far.
"I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. I have seen how messy they can be though Kashimeera seems cleaner than the boys. As for diseases and such, I shall make sure to do as your recommend so we can both stay well."
Canoake blushed pretty and tried to give a tolerant smile. In truth, not much unsettled her but Tofir looked like the type who was interested in always having someone to look after. "I think we shall. Do you know the way to the storerooms? If not, please follow me. The day is fair so we can keep the windows open and have a breeze. You can't believe how stuffy those little rooms can get."
If it got too stuffy, adjustments could always be made, she thought to herself.
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 3:47 pm
Tofir was somewhat confused by Canoake's wink. He couldn't figure out what she meant by it unless his minded strayed toward more lascivious thoughts, which it was wont to do, being the mind of an adolescent boy. At the same time, it still seemed out of context. With a mental shrug he decided that women were mysteries. Being trained as a mindhealer did not give him the sort of significant advantage one would expect when it came to understanding females. They seemed to be deliberately cryptic much of the time, deriving amusement from the confusion it created for their male companions. If only the vixens weren't so physically attractive, Tofir thought with a smile.
"Kashimeera. She would be the girl you were speaking to before? She's your younger sister?" He knew the answer to that, but it was something to discuss that wouldn't leave him feeling bewildered. He was slowly coming to realize that she'd been talking about her siblings' standards of hygiene, but initially he hadn't made that connection.
"I've a younger sister, too. It's actually because of her that I began training as a healer. She broke her arm when we were both young and the local healer allowed me to help him treat her when an infection set in." He stopped abruptly. "Sorry. I don't mean to bore you. I haven't had much to do lately except work, so that's basically all I seem able to think about."
Tofir knew the way. He was fairly certain he'd made that clear when he said he'd probably be the next person using the things, and that he worked in the infirmary. But maybe these were intended for some other store room, that he didn't have anything to do with. Logic told him there had to be other store rooms where spare chairs and tableware and linens and such were kept. Because he knew for a fact nothing stored for the infirmary was stored in a place with windows that could be opened. Too many things could come in and wreak havoc.
With a shrug he answered, "It depends on which storerooms you mean, but I probably know where most of them are. I've been here for about a turn and a half, give or take. But, trust me, I'm well aware of how stuffy the Weyr's smaller rooms can be."
His office was one of the smaller rooms, little more than a glorified closet. Still, it was his and he liked it well enough.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 6:31 pm
She nodded, dismissing her siblings from her thoughts. They were more of a bother than anything else. Her two brothers were off doing whatever they did and her sister was more underfoot than she liked from time to time. Canoake was pretty sure her brothers had been apprenticed out. Not that she cared. But it seemed to her that Tofir expected her to care, so she tried. "You are not boring me. Family can be very important. And besides, it is nice to know you have someone in your corner."
Canoake started to walk and assumed that Tofir would follow. He said he knew the storerooms and while they were different storerooms for different function, she was actually going into the one that stored herbs and other important medical supplies. "You have to remember that there are store rooms for everything. Clothe. Food. Healer supplies. Herd beast grains. The list could go on for a little while."
She paused in thought but not in step. Most boys did not appreciate it when they were made to look stupid. Canoake wanted to frown but didn't want her face to look ugly. So she changed her expression to one of chagrin. "I am sorry. I am sure you already knew all of that. Let's go and if we hurry, I am sure we can finish in time for the mid-day meal."
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Posted: Sun Jan 24, 2010 7:10 pm
"I guess," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I haven't seen mine in years."
Tofir followed Canoake, feeling a little like one of those overbred canines that could be seen trotting at the heels of lady holders. In fact, he was beginning to think that Canoake thought of him like that. He didn't much like the feeling. He knew that he had a tendency to allow women to walk all over him, particularly when they were as pretty as Canoake, but there was something about Canoake that put him off. Like she was just playing a role. Playing it well, no doubt about it, but still...
And as soon as he came to that conclusion Tofir's attention sharpened. Whether it was true or not, and he guessed it was because it was his job to be good at reading people, it would make this more interesting if he could find clues to what she was really thinking and feeling, and what he was doing to make her do and say certain things. And then he gave himself a sharp mental slap. No! Bad! Nice people do not play mind games with other people without telling them. At least nice mindhealers didn't. Everyone played mind games with everyone else.
"Lunch is always nice," Tofir said noncommittally. What if he simply stopped reacting? Was that breaking the rules of being a nice mindhealer? Did he want to be a nice mindhealer?
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:28 pm
Canoaoke was one who liked to be in control of a situation. One might call her manipulative, but considering how it might be put to use, another might call it good managing skills. She kept her steps light while her thoughts were heavy. It was easy to keep her face schooled no matter how stormy her thoughts were and reflecting back on the conversation she had had so far with Tofir, Canoake reviewed whether or not she was still in control.
She started to raise a hand to nibble a nail and then dropped it. Figuring her actions might look silly, she turned back into a gave a silly grin. "I have the bad habit of biting my nails. It is one thing to keep them short for work but I am afraid I have nubs."
Canoake laughed and stopped to show Tofir. Her nails were not as ragged as they usually were when she had been stressed or plotting. But ever since a rather blunt brown rider told her that his dragon had better nails... Well then! Time to make a change of plans. "I have heard chewing mint or a keeping something to keep the hands busy helps stop the process... Maybe as a healer, you might have some ideas?"
The young woman gave him the same look she would give a rider when she wanted a quick tumble or a favor in order to move another piece on the board. It was rather like playing dragonmen, one slow and calculated move at the time and eventually one won the game.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:23 am
Tofir watched Canoake bring one hand to her mouth as though she was about to bite her nails and then let it fall to her side once more. Had his disinterest actually disconcerted her that quickly? She must be an incredibly perceptive young woman, which probably put her in good stead with most men and any dragons she might want to impress - or Impress. She'd probably do very well with firelizards, though he hadn't seen any flying around her. His mind wandered back to the egg he'd won, wondering how good he would be with that firelizard when it hatched.
When Canoake explained about her nail-biting Tofir just nodded pleasantly, obviously feigning interest. In truth, it did interest him that she was biting her nails because that was usually a nervous habit and he wanted to see if it was nerves that caused her to bite them or something else. Maybe she just like the taste? He'd never really been a nail-biter, since it was strongly discouraged by everyone he'd ever known as a nasty, dirty habit, but that didn't mean he hadn't known nail-biters. Most of them acknowledged that it was a bad habit, but felt it harmless. Tofir thought they were idiots. No one's hands were clean enough to put them in their mouths.
He glanced perfunctorily at her nails. The were short, but hardly nubs as she'd described them. But then, this was coming from someone who kept his nails carefully pared as close as he could manage without nicking his fingertips. He didn't like to have dirt under his nails and since he didn't use them as tools he had no need to keep them long. There were tools for that, after all, and he was perfectly happy to use them.
"I don't know about chewing mint. Anyone I knew who bit their nails did so as children, and their parents stopped them by putting nasty tasting things on their nails. I'm not sure how effective that would be on someone with a more mature mind." He raised his eyebrows. "A more effective tactic might be to examine why you bite your nails and trying to come up with some sort of alternative activity."
Habits and habit-breaking, while a fascinating study, wasn't really Tofir's area of interest when it came to mindhealing. He liked unusual minds, like those that could bond with dragons. Even minds like his own, with perfect memory, but only for the written word. Nail-biting and similar habits were really too mundane to hold his interest for very long.
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 12:44 pm
This one was not acting at all like she preferred. Was he studying her just as intently as she was studying him? Maybe she should start appealing to his ego; it was obvious that he had looked at her the way a man looks at a woman. She laughed when he mentioned alternative activities. "I am sure I could come up with some sort of activity to keep me occupied but I doubt I could keep it constant. As for why, it just happens I suppose. Boredom. Anger. Thinking real hard. I have been working hard to stop."
They reached the storerooms and she turned so that her skirts swished about in an amusing fashion. She opened her green eyes widely and gave him a 'come hither' look. He wasn't a bad looking fellow. And maybe, he might be fun in the furs but for now... Canoake actually did have a task to do. "I am to move the older herbs and tonics forward so they can be used first and take a tally of what is needed. Maybe, you can take up the hide and quill while I call off what is needed?"
She pushed her sleeves and prepared to work. Contrary to belief, the young woman was actually a hard worker and a good one at that. She just chose not to work all the time.
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 1:25 pm
Tofir kept his expression polite and reminded himself that she was a candidate and most likely a candidate for the gold. It would behoove him to at least be polite, even if he was not particularly impressed by Canoake in any way beyond physical. If she ended up as a goldrider, she would probably have some say whether he would be allowed to continue his research at the Weyr. It wasn't an enormous possibility, but it was there, and he was almost positive that Canoake could be vindictive if she chose, or if she felt particularly slighted.
"No doubt. But constancy's not really the important thing. It's more important to be doing anything else that isn't nail biting." He shrugged. "But, as you say, you're working at it. You seemed like a determined young lady, used to accomplishing what you set your mind on."
There. Free mindhealing appraisal right there. And put more or less politely. Maybe if the dragonriding and mindhealing didn't work out he could go about from gather to gather, telling people what they already knew about themselves, setting it up as some sort of game where they gave him marks if he was correct, and he gave them marks if he was wrong. But verification would be a problem. The matter bore further consideration, though not much. He knew already that he would be a fine mindhealer. He completely missed her look.
And her job sounded just...thrilling. It was that sort of candidate chores that made Tofir almost grateful for his time assigned to the infirmary. At least there he got to do something interesting. When she asked if he'd keep records he actually winced. Writing this down, unless he could somehow manage not to read what he was writing, would mean that these stupid records would be indelibly imprinted in his memory. He needed that taking up brain space like he needed a hole in his head. He would have proposed an exchange of tasks, but Canoake had already begun to work.
With a resigned sigh he found himself a patch of wall to lean against and took up a quill and hide with notations on it that were obviously someone else's efforts. He dated the hide quickly and scanned it to see what should be written where, and in the process picked up more information than he really wanted about the healers' stores.
"Right. Call away."
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Princess_Feylin Vice Captain
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Posted: Thu Feb 11, 2010 6:15 pm
This time she did frown and was thankful her back was turned from Tofir. Looking back on the conversation, she realized where she had lost control and was not pleased. Normally, Canoake was much better at handling people and the fact that this one did not go the way she wanted perplexed her much. Instead of dwelling on it, she responded to what she supposed was meant to be a compliment. "My parents would say I am single-minded and the harper who taught me would say that I am ambitious."
That would not have been the only thing Revell had said about her but what was said in the furs was best left there.
The task, while tedious, was one that could easily be accomplished as long as one didn't let the mind wander. However, it did not sit well with Canoake to remain silent and have Tofir think poorly of her. "We need more Hyssop. Two jars. Willow bark, one jar. How long have you been in Telgar?"
She switched topics quickly to see how he would react.
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