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 Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 3:40 pm
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 It was all Yunara could do to contain her tears as she fled to hide in the kitchens. Even though K'rou had falsely claimed that she was his wife, she... she didn't have a place here. She didn't have a place anywhere. If he were to be discovered, she would be kicked out for sure! And... she didn't know where to go. The few times she had taken a meal in the kitchens the staff had been friendly enough and... she was quite used to being in kitchens. It... it reminded her of home.
Even if this was a temporary reprieve, she could at least secure a cup of tea. She couldn't keep the tears in, though, when the kindly staff brought it to her. She tried so hard. It... it had been such a long two Turns. They had traveled all over Pern together, exhausting Yunara's precious funds. She'd had to sell of this or that cherished item over time, even though K'rou had been paying his way too. It was just too cruel that after all of this time she might have no home at all. And she was now fully aware of how her 'friend' felt about her. That is to say, he didn't. Didn't feel anything for her.
And she, foolish girl that she was, was in love with a man who was now her husband in the Weyr's eyes. What a cruel fate! Weeping over the tea, she tried to control herself. At least she could find some way to make herself useful... if only they would let her. Even if she could never return home. Even if she was now completely and utterly alone. More alone than she'd ever been even when her parents had left her to go on their journeys together. More alone even than when she'd thought K'rou was dead. Faranth, there was no hope for her, was there?
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 5:57 pm
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The day had been busy for the blond-haired woman. She'd been allowed to attend the Hatching due to her youngest being a Candidate, but had gone immediately to the kitchens as soon as it had finished. Her heart was ached for her youngest, who was certainly disappointed to not have Impressed, and yet...another part of her was pleased. Pleased that she had made it through without a scratch, and hadn't succumbed to any of the wilder dragonets. The rest of the day would be busy under Padmia's rule, especially with Western Weyr getting sent home. The help they'd been promised just got slashed, and now they were all hands-on-deck to make up for the loss.
Having been given a break to rest, before she returned to her duties, Alusia made her way to where a few tables and chairs were set up for the staff. She caught sight of a pale haired woman, one who had come to the kitchens and lower caverns a few times to take her meals. But this afternoon, instead of taking a meal, the poor thing seemed to be crying over her tea...
Oh dear.
Brows knitting, she stepped forward. "Dearheart, whatever's the matter?" Maternal instinct had kicked in, and she immediately wanted to fuss. When had she last seen one of her own children with such heartache? Certainly now C'lusi... And Alumet was far too busy. Neither of her eldest children seemed to need her now, especially not that they had found...well, what she had lacked. She suspected Lusialu to need a mother's comfort, or would need some soon, but for now...none had come to her. "What ails you so?" She encouraged, reaching out so she might stroke the back of the other. She pulled out a clean rag from her apron, and offered it to the other, in case she might wish to dry her eyes.
Surely, such distress would not do. Had it been the Hatching? The trauma of the lost Candidate and the green? Or all the blood that had fallen on the sands? Regardless the reason, Alusia wasn't going to simply let her cry alone. |
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Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2018 6:26 pm
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When the kindly woman, Alusia, offered a clean rag, Yunara took the offering, weeping pitifully into the cloth. It... was all so much. So suddenly. It all came spilling out of her, to her shame. "My family died in Th-threadfall. And... I loved this boy. He was... important. A holder's son. And..." Oh, it hurt. It hurt so much.
"... And he... didn't notice me at all. Of course he didn't. Why should he have? I was just a ... a shopkeeper." Stupid. So stupid! "I th-thought he was dead, too. Then he came back, and ..." The story just went on and on, about how she had taken him all around Pern to find his family, to find any last vestige of what might be his own blood.
A place where he belonged. And he had found that, it seemed. "And then, when I w-went to change, they told me I d-didn't belong. I'm. I'm not a Candidate. The d-dragon d-didn't want me. So." And so... the best and worst moment of her short life had occurred. "So... he said I was... I was his wife. And he was sweet. And."
Oh, what a bitter fate! "And... of course he... doesn't feel the same. It's all a lie, and... I believed him for a moment." Married. Married to the man that she loved. But he didn't love her back. And he... didn't want her. And... she couldn't really stay, could she? "I d-don't... I don't have anywhere to go," she wailed softly at last, burying her face in the cloth at last. Faranth, why?
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2019 1:57 pm
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Alusia listened to the young woman, saying nothing as she wept and explained her story and situation. She did periodically reach out to give a tender, maternal stroke of the young woman’s shoulder, hoping to offer some sort of assurance to the poor dear. She was quite distraught, and Alusia didn’t blame her. To have given so much, to have lost so much, and now to be here…
Well.
Alusia wasn’t the Headwoman, but she was confident enough to know that they would be able to set things right, somehow. “There, there,” she cooed softly, “First off, it sounds like you’ve had quite the journey, and a long one at that.” How long had she been traveling Pern? Too long, from the sounds of it. “Let me get you something to drink, and take a few deep breaths. I promise you, those riders or whoever had no right to tell you what they did. Have you met Padmia yet? She’s the Headwoman here, and it’s up to her to decide who stays and who goes.” At least, as far as non-riders were concerned.
Rising from her seat, it took the woman only a moment to grab a kettle from the warmer. Tea and klah were staples in the Lower Caverns, and there was always hot water available and nearby. It didn’t take her long to fix up the brew. “This should set your nerves right,” she spoke gently, setting down the cup of hot tea. “Now, I don’t know about this marriage business, but while rumors spread like wildfire here, all the same, most riders don’t poke their nose into others affairs. I don’t think it’s right to be lying about some affair, but I understand why he might have said what he said. Do you want to stay in the Weyr? Or is there somewhere else you wish to go?” That was the first question Alusia had to suss out; if the girl was only here because of some boy, that probably wasn’t going to be enough to allow her to stay. On the other hand, if she came from a shop, she might have the skills and talent to at least be an asset to the Weyr. “What sort of work did you do? We might be able to find you work here.” If not at the Weyr, than one of the neighboring Holds, like High Reaches, would certainly have room.
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