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 Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 4:32 pm
A tune and a few words under her breath, Isandra made her way down the halls of Ghenza briskly, a new ditty struggling to make its way from simple idea to singable tune. Scowl on her face, the young woman marched with a purpose, walking faster the more frustrated she became. It had been quite a while since she'd come up with anything worth sharing and it was beginning to become quite a nuisance. She was a Harper (of high caliber!), shardit, this sort of creative block shouldn't happen to her! Not to her!
By the time the young woman made it to the dining hall, the frown lines had become incredibly deep, her entire face tense as she swept in, barely avoiding a young child scampering out. Hissing something unkind, Isandra continued her mission, muttering half-formed lyrics as she made herself a small plate for dinner. Opting to have her meal on the go, she stuffed a breadroll in her mouth (how unladylike!) and made a beeline for the door, no patience for the other inhabitants of Ghenza this evening. The day itself hadn't been that pleasant, and while usually not nearly enough to ruffle the Harper's feathers, the young woman was slowly being turned inside out by her complete failure to produce anything remotely musical.
Pushing back out of the hall, she slammed into another person and sent herself sprawling backwards. Nearly choking on her meal, the Harper struggled to her feet quickly. "Watch it!" Isandra snapped, too busy straightening her dress to make sure she hadn't injured the other person.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 8:01 am
Uuni was so darn sick of dirt under her nails, having to wash her hair every ten seconds, and the tan to her skin that really just wasn't becoming. Though she would never admit it, she missed the idea of being able to crawl into Avery's bedroll and hide the day away. Not that she ever would, since that would be far too revealing for her own good, but the idea was just so appealing.
It was this she attributed to not watching where she was going. The actual reason was more likely to be that she'd been eyeing the woman she'd run into, and simple miscalculated how close to brush against her.
The crash seemed to have much less of a toll on her, considering she was prepared for it, and she could only stand with a snort at the priorities the woman obviously presented.
Finally! Someone in Ghenza who cared about their appearance and wasn't all work. This one, she had a chance with. Farmwork could wait, Uuni was trying to get her life back.
"Aren't you a spitfire," she said, offering a long grin to the woman. "Are you hurt, or do I owe you another dress?" The unspoken 'I'll be glad take that one from you' wasn't something she needed to say. Only amateurs spilled foolish words out.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 5:42 pm
Isandra narrowed her eyes, pausing mid-brush when the stranger spoke. She didn't recognize the rider, so that could only mean one thing. She was one of time.
Fighting back the growing urge to curl her lip in disgust and simply turn on her heel, the Harper pressed her hands to her hips firmly. "I am fine," she answered slowly, finding it a bit odd the woman was apologizing for something that was a mutual mistake. Well, Isandra sniffed, if she thought she would be getting an apology in return, she was sadly mistaken. "You ought to watch where you're going, Rider. Next time I won't be so forgiving." After a moment of thought, she extended her hand decisively, the other still rooted firmly to her hip.
"I am Isandra, Harper. And you?" She raised her eyebrows, gaze sharp and unrelenting as she waited for the woman's reply. It did not bother her to speak to a dragonrider like such; as far as the Harper was concerned, they were no more important than any of the other working folk at Ghenza, toiling day in and day out. The only difference was their partners, giving them an advantage of the others.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:20 pm
Spitfire was definitely the word for it. The slow, almost confused tone the woman was giving her didn't seem to bother Uuni in the slightest.
The grin stayed as she folded her arms across her chest and slowly leaned her shoulder into the structure of the Ghenza hall.
The only words only caused her to snort lightly, and she nodded, seeming to accept this as law. Why rebutt? She'd just get her hind end kicked. Not that it would be too bad.
"Uuni," she answered, wrinkling up her nose a bit - though it was not a sign of disgust - as she took the woman's hand. "No craft." A wink. "Well, not one you know of, I'm sure." Uptight. Chaste, maybe? It was hard to tell.
"You're a Harper. Good with your fingers, then, right?" Glancing at the floor for a moment, considering. "You wouldn't be able to get me out of some farmwork, would you?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 6:21 am
The wisecrack only earned Uuni an eye roll. In truth, Isandra might not have caught the first and she only had a hunch about the second. However, she did not spare such things much thought at all; there were far more important things that demanded her attention. Interrogating this rider was one.
"No craft?" The Harper shook her head, green eyes glinting. "Ah, yes, I've heard those riders from other Weyrs don't carry their weight." Her arms folded across her chest, Isandra's stance could be described as nothing but ready for battle. She hadn't actually come across any of the High Reaches riders personally, but the Harper had heard plenty of unsavory things. Not working was at the apex of the lists of grievances (or it should be, anyways); just because one had a dragon did not mean they shouldn't contribute to the community's well-being.
"Get you out of work?" she rattled on, staunchly choosing to ignore the comment about her fingers (and she was quite proficient with them, thank you kindly). Well! Uuni certainly wasn't doing anything to dissuade Isandra's preformed opinions! "Why would I do that?" she hissed, porcelain features flushing. "Do you think you can just eat and stay for free?" Isandra silenced, holding Uuni steady in her gaze. The nerve of some people!
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Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2010 10:07 am
"No craft," Uuni repeated. It was not possible to want to smile anymore in this situation. Makereth had taught her very bad habits. Egging this woman on was probably not a great idea. Her track record was poor already as it was.
"Well, you know, I don't have much weight to carry. Three times less to eat, so I should be doing three times less work." There was a light laugh at the end, at which point she added, "I'm kidding." Sort of. They really did eat a lot. Probably because they worked too much, and maybe because Uuni was just thin. After doing all that farmwork, she certainly had a larger appetite than she used to.
The gaze towards her didn't seem to bother her. Man, this 'do your work!' was getting so old. She just wanted a nice bed, with a nice person - or maybe not so nice - and a day's break to give the blisters on her hands time to heal. The expression on her face hardly changed.
"Don't look at me like I'm crazy. All you do is pluck strings all day, make your lungs sore whatever kind of Harper you are." There was only the slightest of pauses before Uuni added, loudly, quickly so she got the words in before she got smacked. "I'll make you a deal. You do my farmwork for a day, and I'll sing. Seems like a fair trade. We're still doing work, right? Think of it as expanding your narrow work-centric horizons into two work-centric fields."
s**t, she was so dead. Makereth was going to have to come save her.
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 5:10 am
Oh, this woman was certainly not going down in Isandra's good books.
"Excuse me," she growled, strands of her wavy black falling away from its updo as leaned towards the High Reaches rider. "My job is incredibly important. Not that I would expect the likes of you to understand, but," she sniffed and tossed her head back, "Harpers are practically the most important people in Ghenza." That was what she told everyone, anyway, be them foreigner or not. Whether there was any truth to the statement was not relevant; Isandra seemed to believe it with every last fiber of her very being, and then some.
"I absolutely will not trade for a day with you! I doubt you can even hold a tune," the young woman spat, looking disgusted by the suggestion. "Do you even know any of the songs I'm supposed to sing? Can you play a single instrument? Being a Harper is not something you can just 'do for a day', Rider, I've been training since I was a little girl. There is a reason all you outsiders are sent to the fields. Anyone can farm." Obviously.
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:17 am
If she leaned any further forwards, Uuni was going to take it as an excuse. It was nice to know the same insults that had graced High Reaches still ran rampant in the Ghenza quarter as well.
Made things easy. Maybe these people really were human afterall.
"I don't know any Ghenza songs, but I can sing you a Holder's song," she protested. Had she expected to get the day off, no? But she felt so close.
"Since a little girl, huh?" For the moment, Uuni ignored the mention of anyone being able to farm. Farmers would take too kindly to that one spreading around Ghenza. "If I give you a song that knocks you off your high wher by tomorrow, do I get something in return?" Yeah, that sounded good. Uuni wouldn't be getting one. Even if she worked her a** off and pulled together a brilliant piece of art, it still wouldn't match someone trained for years. Not to mention, she didn't think Isandra's pride would let her admit the High Reaches slacker had put together something halfway decent.
"Obviously I can't do it, and you can watch me look humiliated. I'll even do it in front of a bunch of people of your choosing so you can all make fun of me." If she wasn't used to failure by now, she'd sure be getting used to it now. "And I'd still be working, harder, in fact, since Harping is much more difficult."
She held out her hand, raising one brow and waiting for Isandra to take it, likely reluctantly. The woman may very well have too much pizazz, in which case it was off to lunch with Uuni and then back out in the fields.
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 4:05 pm
"Why tomorrow?" Isandra asked, trying to unravel whatever Uuni was trying to pull over her head. "I highly doubt a day will make a difference, though it will give you plenty of time to make yourself scarce. Not that I would object if our paths crossed less in the future, but." Isandra sniffed. "I have you here right now, and so we are going to make the best out of this."
Refusing the offer, she put her hands on her hips. "Impress me right now," she challenged, "and I will get you out of your work tomorrow. No one would suspect my need for an extra messenger." She narrowed her eyes; apparently this Harper was not about to back down from a challenge. Hard work might be the Ghenzan way, but this was about honor and pride. "So what do you say?" Isandra pressed, finger finding its way back to her wavy black hair. "It's now or never, Uuni. If you want to get out of your chores that badly, you will sing for me. You've piqued my curiosity."
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Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 7:34 pm
. . . there was a curseword that went well here. One that Uuni used often and began with the letter "f".
She hadn't done this in too many years. Had her vocals changed? Did she even remember the song she wanted to sing?
"Um . . . " she stalled, but came up with nothing brilliant. Save for Makereth picking up Isandra, flinging her, and Uuni making a run for it, there really was no way out of this situation.
She held up one finger dramatically and closed her eyes. Moments passed as she continued to hold the stance, her lips moving quiet mutterings as she went over the song in her head.
If any of the High Reaches members were around, she was going to kill them where they stood. Or, someone else could, because death would probably result in a great deal of blood and anguish, and Uuni wasn't quite sure she was up for that.
"Okay. This is the only time." If she had to do this more than once. . . A deep breath was taken, and the hand dropped to her side. She went once, through the series of notes she used to catch her tone, surprised to find her pitch was not changed as dramatically as she had thought, and then put together the song in her mind.
At first, her voice was unsteady, trying to piece together words she had tried to forget and keep a proper pitch in the same moment. But as the memories came flooding in, it became easy to remember and sing with more vigour.
"Oh, children, your hearts in the skies
Don't listen to the fall's sweet grass
As it whispers fruitful lies.
The clouds are reflected on a lake of glass
Winter is returning;
Its streaks mark the sky.
The hearthfire is burning,
You spend the day with no reply.
You dally, you play, unheeding of time.
But the sky, it grows thick,
The moment has come, responsibility-"
There was a brief pause as Uuni had a moment of panic. Clearly the "time" wasn't the right word unless they'd tried to rhyme it with "thine" and that was just poor skill. Shrugging it off - hey, it had been a while! - she continued, more certain this time.
"The candle is dimmer following the wick.
Oh children, your people, they starve while you play
Heed this soft warning, it is no time for fun
When the sweet grass of fall graces the day
It is time to plant seeds, no longer to run.
Drop your sticks to the earth
Return to your home
Give pride to the place of your birth
Head to the fields, do not roam.
Each seed you drop, the earth will fill.
Take care, make no mistake
Or it's your brother you kill."
What an ironic song, given she was using it to get out of work. Nevermind. If Isandra hadn't liked that voice, then Uuni was sticking to boys! The song? Uuni never had liked it, which was likely the very reason it was implanted forever in her mind.
"Am I free tomorrow?" she asked after the moment had ended. It was all she wanted to know. Being told she could sing was old news.
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 4:53 am
Hm. That went better than expected. Unable to decided between 'pleased' and 'skeptical', the Harper settled with 'surprised' and simply hummed to herself, fixing her eyes on the bluerider as she waited for an answer. It was good. It was certainly better than she'd expected from a farmer. Of course, not nearly as good as herself, but that was setting the standard a little too high, wasn't it? Sniffing, Isandra quietly came to her decision.
"Good enough, I suppose," Isandra sighed, looking bored with the entire ordeal. "So I will expect to see you tomorrow. Even if I free you for the day and tell them you are running my messages, they will expect to see you with me. I do not intend to get myself in any amount of trouble." The Harper gave Uuni a baleful look. "You will show up, then, and look like perhaps you are trying to do something. I will meet you in the dining hall at breakfast. Are we understood?"
It wasn't really like the Harper to allow this nonsense, but she had to doubt this rider was of any use in the fields anyway, with this sorry work ethic of hers. Perhaps if she had a day of rest, she might buck up and renew her vigor. Isandra could hope, anyways.
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:34 am
Good enough? Uuni could have shouted for joy. Never had "good enough" sounded so darn beautiful. Isandra didn't seem to be done there, oh no. Uuni had to spend the whole day with the woman. While she was brash, loud, perhaps a big aggravating and stuck-up, she was also interesting, worried about her appearance, had let Uuni out of work for a day, and probably had lots of friends like herself. Assuming this one didn't cave, surely one of the other ones would.
She couldn't wait to be back at High Reaches with people she understood. Uuni hated to say it, but here, at Ghenza, she really was out of her element.
Priorities switched, though she wasn't able to choke down that overpleased smile. "Understood," she practically shouted it like a giddy girl.
"Thanks a bunch, Isandra, Harper." There was a wink coupled with the 'Harper' bit, as though it was now a deep secret between them. "See you on the morrow; don't miss me!"
Faintly, Makereth piped out a pleased, all in fun, I won't!, in her mind as she brushed past Isandra and into the kitchens. He was such a bad influence.
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 12:49 pm
Nnn.
Isandra rubbed her chin, watching the rider brush past her without so much as a goodbye. It would be a wonder, to see what tomorrow brought. Not terribly keen on considering the consequence of what she’d just done, the Harper turned in the opposite direction and began to walk. Her meal had long since been forgotten, as had the destination the young woman had been running off to in the first place.
At the very least, her ugly scowl had been replaced by a perplexed frown, a slight improvement. The malice hanging around her like an enormous cloud had also dissipated, but. Isandra was not going to contemplate the consequences of her actions. No, really. She was not. She’d just deal with that impossible blue rider when tomorrow came.
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