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 Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:49 pm
This, Sharkal told Shimmer under his breath, was Completely Unfair.
Holding his sleeve to his lip, the youth had holed himself up in a corner of the kitchen. It wasn't that difficult to hide, the weyrbrat decided. Everyone was so occupied with what they were doing, they didn't pay attention to blond teenager skulking around. As long as he didn't take anything or get in anyone's way, Sharkal seemed to be invisible. His faithful firelizard was perched on his shoulder, crooning worriedly as she tried to pull her boy's hand away from the hurt. Silly boy, getting hurt!
Sharkal grunted, pushing Shimmer's delicate claws away from his sleeve. Offering her a sausage, he wrinkled his nose and glanced around. Still not noticed, good. He was going to get in trouble, he just knew it. The other boy might have stuck first (even though Shark might have goaded the younger weyrbrat the entire way to the punch), but he'd hit back, and for some reason, that always seemed to be the capital offense.
"You're on lookout, okay Shimmer? Don't let anyone find us."
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 3:59 pm
Unfortunately for Sharkal, he hadn't exactly picked the best place to hide.
Norra was doing her rounds that morning, checking up on the running of various stations in the Weyr. Though they had a fair amount of candidates that was no excuse for the locals to slack off or worse, not ensure that the candidates were doing a proper job. So far, the launders had already received quite a scolding for letting candidates leave sopping wet bed furs in piles instead of hanging them out to dry immediately. No one should have to sleep in partially damp bedfurs, after all.
She was making her way through the kitchens, talking quietly to some of the cooks and making notes on her chalkboard, when she caught sight of a boy "hiding" in one of the corners. Frowning, she tapped her chalk on her chalkboard and blinked in the direction of the boy. Was that… Sharkal?
"Sharkal, what are you doing over there?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:26 pm
"Tcchhkk!?"
Sharkal's jaw flopped open and he shot his firelizard an accusing glare. Shimmer could only peep helplessly. How was she supposed to know this woman was the woman she was supposed to hide her boy from? Even if he was small for a boy, he was very big! It made him so very hard to hide.
The weyrbrat, however, was not particularly sympathetic to his little Queen's plight. There would be No Sausage for this, and while she considered this consequence for his actions...or not actions, really, since she failed to notice the Headwoman all together, he was going to have to answer to her. Fixing Norra with his fiercest glare, he pulled his sleeve away from his busted lip and wrinkled his nose. "What does it look like I'm doing?" he snarled, because really, Sharkal wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to accomplish, either.
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 10:43 am
Hoo boy. With a soft tut, Norra set her chalkboard on the nearest available surface and walked towards Sharkal, seemingly unaffected by his glare. It was one of the benefits of being old and being in charge. Nothing much frightened the Headwoman anymore, least of which some very pesky little boys.
"It looks like you've got a split lip. Come here." Not giving him time to resist, she grabbed him by the forearm and proceeded to drag him over to where she could get a better look at him. A nearby stool provided the perfect place, and without so much as a 'sit please' she promptly plopped him down. Some children just had to be told what to do, and Sharkal was one of them.
With her hand gently but firmly holding his chin, Norra tilted his head to the side so she could examine his lip. "A damp cloth please, Teka, thank you." The Headwoman took the offered cloth and began gently dabbing his face. "Who was it this time?"
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Posted: Sun Mar 14, 2010 1:27 pm
"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Sharkal spluttered, the Headwoman grabbing him by the arm and lugged him into the light. He was was forced onto a stool before his little blond brain could catch up with the invasion of his privacy, his bright blue eyes wide and blinking as his jaw dropped for the second time. Shimmer crooned reassuringly, leaping off her boy's shoulder so the smart woman could look at him and make the hurt go. He was so cranky when he was hurt.
Sharkal protested, squirming when the cloth stung his lip, closing his eyes and whining softly. He didn't try to get away that hard, however, because at the end of the day, Norra was doing a better job that he was.
"I dunno," he muttered with a shrug, dropping his gaze as he shook his head, completely forgetting Norra was trying to clean him up. "Some kid. New." He was one of the oldest weyrbrats at this point, those older having already Impressed or moved on into craft. "Blazing shardit, though. Din' have it hit me," he added crossly, just for good measure.
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Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:14 pm
"That's a good girl," Norra crooned softly to the flit as she tended to the wound. "I'll be finished with your little boy in a second, so don't you fret a minute." The woman clearly had a soft spot for firelizards. Had both of her hands been free she probably would have pet Shimmer, but as it stood she was tending to a very rambunctious Weyrbrat.
Luckily the wound was fairly shallow and hadn't had time to get infected. Still, she was glad she'd seen to it before he'd rubbed dirt from his sleeve onto it. "You should at least use a clean handkerchief on wounds, Sharkal, otherwise you're going to get an infection." The headwoman dabbed his lip a few more times before reaching for a nearby jar of salve. More than most, the kitchen staff had to have salve on hand. There were a lot of little nicks and cuts that needed dealing with, after all.
She tsked softly at the mention of fighting, a frown forming on her face as she wiped the salve along his cut. "You know fighting isn't allowed, Sharkal, even if he is a new kid. You should warn him next time not to get himself kicked out."
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Posted: Tue Mar 16, 2010 6:02 pm
Yeah, because Sharkal carried around clean rags to dab at the several injuries he garnered over the course of a week. The youth snorted, trying to jerk his face away when Norra moved it to smear salve on his lip. It was hopeless cause, the Headwoman had known him far too long and had gotten his lip covered before Sharkal even thought about getting away.
"Yeah, I know that, but it sure ain' my problem if them new kids go and get themselves the boot. He shouldn' be hittin' me anyways. Idiot." The boy held out his arm and Shimmer landed gently, chirping happily as she scurried up Sharkal's shoulder and wrapped herself around her boy's neck. "A'sides. I'm the one that's got the split lip, not him. I don't hit back," the weyrbrat added haughtily, lifting his chin. "I know better!"
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Posted: Wed Mar 17, 2010 6:24 pm
Just because he didn't carry around clean rags didn't mean they weren't around. The fact that he didn't even have a handkerchief to dab his face was minorly disconcerting for the Headwoman. Perhaps she should see about getting him one. She'd even put little dragons on it just for him.
Norra ignored the jerking about, only releasing the boy when she was finished with his face. There. That was much better. Now she wouldn't have to worry so much about him getting a fat lip or an infection. "Of course you know better than to hit back, Sharkal," Norra praised, already smoothing out his hair with her fingers. "But that doesn't mean you should let others get away with it. Next time you should report such violence. I don't want the newcomers thinking they can go around hitting whoever they like. Have you had something to eat?"
Seeing as his wound was taken care of, the next topic of interest was his stomach.
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Posted: Fri Mar 19, 2010 7:03 pm
Sharkal preened, all but leaning into Norra's gentle touch as she started to rearrange his hair. As much as he fought any care the Headwoman tried to offer him, he gobbled up any appreciation she offered him. "I guess you're right," he mumbled quietly, eyes sliding shut. Like a dragon being scratched just right, it was a wonder the candidate didn't start to purr. As it were, he barely processed Norra's question.
The blond pried his bright blue eyes open, blinking them slowly as he opened his mouth and pondered the older woman's query. He liked Norra (not that he'd ever admit it), and often found himself pacified in her company despite his better efforts otherwise.
"Huh? No. Haven't eaten today, yet." His stomach growled just then and Sharkal shrugged, having enough sense to look sheepish. "Guess I should, though. Why, you got somethin' for me?"
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Posted: Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:29 pm
There were some things that a woman could only learn from experience, and coddling boys was one of them. Sure, some of the older male riders would complain that she was turning them into sissies, but Norra protested that she was merely letting them get in touch with their softer side. If they were never soft with anything how would they ever understand a dragon?
The Headwoman tutted softly when he said he hadn't eaten, already moving to go fetch him a plate of something to eat. It was nice, being in charge, she decided, as none of the kitchen folk even batted an eyelash at her helping herself to some of the food. After all, who would say something against her?
"I always have something for you." Norra shooed him over to the little table in the corner, setting down his plate and a glass of water. "So long as you keep yourself out of trouble. I do hope you're training your flit well."
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 4:46 pm
Getting off his stool, Sharkal allowed himself to be herded over to the plate of food like a good little weyrbrat. Who would argue with service like that? Someone dumb, that was who. He was many things, the blond thought with a hint of pride, but he was most certainly not dumb. (It was amazing how blind he could be to his own faults.) Making an incredibly pleased noise, he settled down and helped himself, barely remembering to breath between bites.
"Huh?" Sharkal swallowed and wiped his mouth with a sleeve. "Shimmer?" He glanced over at the gold, who'd delicately perched herself on her boy's shoulder, nibbling away at a small piece of meet she'd managed to convince one of the kitchen workers to share with her. "Oh, yeah. She's real good. One of the new weyrling kids liked her." Even Sharkal couldn't without a toothy smile, all pride. "She's real good, real smart. Couldn't ask for a better lizard."
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