OOC: Repost for Tim. :-p

IC:

Cold. It was definitely very, very cold out. Critters didn't like the cold,
and this one was certainly no exception. Scurrying away from the white stuff
on the ground, it wriggled it's giant body towards the Weyr. It made it's
way through hallways and passed by peoples who would surely scream if they
saw it; yes, he knew, the ones with the fabric that hung to the ground -
they scream and try to squish It, but It only wanted to find someplace warm.

Ah, the smells, the smells! But It wouldn't be safe there, It knew - It knew
there were Sharpy Thingys in there, Sharpy Thingys that could hurt It worse
than the Squishing People. Ignoring the smells, It scurried through shadows
and corridors, until It all but bumped into the Something.

Looking up, It saw a big....a big Something. But there was cloth on top of
the Something, and it looked Warm. Making It's way up, It burrowed in the
cloth, getting warm.

'It' was a giant critter - well, it was big for what it was, something that
resembled a rat. And 'It' had found it's way into the creche, were things
were bound to be nice and warm. And what better place to be warm, then on a
nice bed - the bed that belonged to Haklat!

Happy Midwinter?

_________________________________________________________________
Tired of slow downloads? Compare online deals from your local high-speed
providers now.  https://broadband.msn.com

> ***Limea had been very tired after a long day of
> working. She picked a
> splinter out of the palm of her hand before crawling
> into her cot, burying
> herself in the sheets. It was dark in the room and
> she was the first one in
> bed. Rather bitterly she thought to herself that the
> other girls must be
> sharing the beds of riders. It began as a tickle.
> She slept lightly and
> swatted at her arms,  before rolling over.
> Reluctantly she opened her eyes
> and scratched at the itchyness. As her eyes adjusted
> to the darkness, she
> spied the ants on her body.Limea's first reaction to
> the ants was to shriek.
> She -hated- bugs. She frantically batted at them,
> trying to get them off her
> body. Breathing in and out very quickly, her eyes
> filled with frightened
> tears as she stomped on the ants, slapping at them,
> anything to get them off
> her. "Margana!" The girl cried out helplessly as she
> saw the other drudge
> walk into Lydiara's room. She followed, and heard
> that what was in the bag
> would kill the ants. "May I..." She sniffled loudly,
> "use some as well,
> please?"***
>
> Limea's tears were enough to anger Lydiara further,
> and she chewed the
> inside of her cheek. "Yes, yes Margana, give that
> here. There's no time for
> pettiness if we're all to suffer together."
>
> She held out a hand and waited for Margana to
> deposit the bag of stuff into
> it. "We'll do Limea's room first, since the little
> buggers seems to have,
> ah, invaded more of her, personal space. You can
> share my room tonight until
> the stuff works,"  Lydiara smiled at Limea.  Poor
> girl. Nobody should have
> to cry over stupid bugs.
>
> Grey eyes narrowed at Margana again. "The critters
> have only invaded my
> footlocker so far. If we scatter some of that stuff
> near the cracks they're
> comming from, we chan hault an advancement till
> morning."

Shards! Why did Limea have to come ruin her plans!
Margana sighed, and handed Lydiara the good bag.
"This will kill them," she said ungraciously.  "There
are also herbs that will merely repell them.  We may
want to sprinkle the floors and cracks with those,
once we rid ourselves of these pests."  Well, at least
they would do Limea's rooms first.

Quickly she put the other bag in her pocket, to
dispose of later.  Hopefully the other drudge wouldn't
notice.


> ~~Lydiara
> OOC: Just for a point of interest.  I read somewhere
> in the DLG or on the
> Jenaith's Weyr website that has all sorts of
> herbalry informantion on it,
> that Pern uses a color coded system or ribbon and
> knots to identify herbs
> tied in bags. This bit of information is not meant
> at a correction, just as
> a curiosity for anybody who was wondering
>
> OOC: Cool.  I figured there was something that told
of what herbs would do what.  Knots and colors make
sense, too.  I think that may have been in Nerilka's
Story, too.
>


=====
North Ranges Weyr:
      Avalyn/Gold Trinath -- Tr'gar/Bronze Relinath --  Z'kryn/Brown Ardeth
      Kenli/Green Razith --  Weyrbrats Willin & Calynn --  Lady's Maid Maire

DarkFort Weyr
      Kamma/Gold Zarith --  T'ril/Bronze Garanth --  M'lor/Brown Gunath
      P'tan/Blue Qimath --  Drudges Margana & Haliena

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
http://search.yahoo.com/top2003

> Kamma's dismissal of events made Lydiara's life so
> much easier.  Perhaps
> this WeyrWoman wouldn't be so bad after all.  At
> least she had some
> intelligence to know when she'd been bested, no
> matter how much she covered
> it up with airy gestures and false bravado.  And it
> gave the young woman an
> ace up her sleeve, more proof to her own assumptions
> that Goldriders were
> simply just, powerless pawns beneath the WeyrLeader.
>  And Bronzeriders,
> Lydiara smiled slyly to herself, were just slaves to
> their egos. Indeed, a
> person well placed within the heirarchy need not be
> a Dragonrider in order
> to grip power.
>
> Of course, such a point as Kamma made was one
> Lydiara herself tried to tell
> Goldrider Cadli that long ago day when they shared
> an afternoon tea.  Cadli
> hadn't seemed to come to terms with that fact back
> then, maybe having the
> WeyrWoman herself tell it would make Fasanth's Rider
> listen to reason.
> Finally things were to be set about their proper
> fashion, Goldriders acting
> as Goldriders, and drudges doing the jobs they were
> given to do.
>
> And a promotion!?  Lydiara was nearly floored.  It
> was as if the opportunity
> she'd been waiting for all her life were suddenly
> handed to her in a golden
> egg.  Her shoulders straitened, her back stiffened,
> and her chin lifted ever
> so impecercivibly higher.  Of course she deserved
> it.  It wasn't like she
> worked so hard for nothing, or demanded such high
> levels of perfection for
> naught.  The recognition was everything she so
> rightly earned.  Once they
> saw how detail oriented she was about their meals
> and meetings, then she
> could show them her competency in management and
> delegation.  Her
> achievements in effecency and professionalism.  They
> would discuss amoung
> themselves that perhaps Lesly was getting old,
> getting soft, in her running
> of things.  Yes, yes this was one rung higher on her
> climb to being
> HeadWoman of Fort Weyr.
>
> "Yes, WeyrWoman," Lydiara bowed low, low enough for
> her knees to feel the
> strain, "and I thank you kindly for the
> responsiblity.  Will there be
> anything more?" Now she was itching to leave, if
> only to go rub it into
> those at the Kitchens that they would answer to her
> now.

Kamma almost laughed aloud at the drudge's gratitude.
How typical - give someone more responsibility, and
they think it's a good thing!  Didn't she realize that
there was more room for error now, more eyes would be
upon her,  and she would be under the Weyrwoman's
scrutiny more often?  Mentally, she shrugged.  Maybe
this one would be good at it, too.

"I trust you won't disappoint me," the Weyrwoman
stated, then looked at the room set up once again.
"You may want to make a few changes in here - I'm
calling a meeting of the Weyr Leadership, so you'll
need to set more places and bring more food."  With
that comment, Kamma swept out of the room to make sure
everyone knew there would be a meeting.

=====
North Ranges Weyr:
      Avalyn/Gold Trinath -- Tr'gar/Bronze Relinath --  Z'kryn/Brown Ardeth
      Kenli/Green Razith --  Weyrbrats Willin & Calynn --  Lady's Maid Maire

DarkFort Weyr
      Kamma/Gold Zarith --  T'ril/Bronze Garanth --  M'lor/Brown Gunath
      P'tan/Blue Qimath --  Drudges Margana & Haliena

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
http://search.yahoo.com/top2003

>>>Noticing her stunned expression, M'lor took a rare
pity upon the mother of his child.  "Not really," he
said, "it's for the baby."  There had been no reason
for her to get him a gift - this would give her an
'out'.  Besides, though he doubted he'd have much to
do with the child, there was a certain responsibility
that he felt.<<<

Closing the door behind the brownrider, Nadra reached out a hand, tracing
the carved animals on the back of the chair. She smiled slightly, glancing
up at M'lor. "It's a bit big for the baby, don't you think?" Leaning over,
she kissed his cheek and hugged him swiftly," Thank you," she said, and
smiled. "If there's anything you have that needs mending, bring it to me,
please. I'll do those first." It wasn't much in the way of a gift...but it
was a start.

_________________________________________________________________
Tired of slow downloads? Compare online deals from your local high-speed
providers now.  https://broadband.msn.com

>>>"I was a fool," he said softly, invitingly.  "I didn't
know what I had until I had thrown it away.  It hurts
me to see you with any other man, Demarga-love."  If
he could have crossed his arms over his heart, he
would have.
At her other comment, his voice hardened ever-so
slightly.  "Yes, this was her idea," he stated
shortly.  "She made it sound so inviting that I saw no
harm in trying it."  Just thinking, though, of what
she had said made certain parts of him move of their
own volition.  "So what do you say? Untie me?" he wheedled.<<<

"Well I can't argue with that," she said happily when he had finished.
Leaning over his face, she smiled, letting her hair fall across his neck and
chin. "You are certainly a fool." Pulling back, she smiled sardonically,
letting her gaze do a once-over again. "I don't think I will," she said
sweetly. "You seem to be enjoying it quite a bit. I wouldn't want to take
that away from you." You sadistic, male nymphomaniac, you. This was rather
fun. Demarga liked the deed, if not the company. "You know," she said,
smiling slightly. "I should open that door a bit wider, so every passing
drudge can have a good laugh. We all need one so badly, to pass the day by."
She wasn't much better than a drudge, even if they called her a candidate.
Grinning, she inched forward, taking for granted that there was little he
could do to stop her.With one arm on each side of his torso, she leaned down
a bit. "I could show you what it's like," she said softly. "Waking up with
bruises on you skin, in pain. I've wanted to for a while, now. But, this
just ruins it. I think you may enjoy it." Pulling back, she slapped him,
scowling - and regreted it. Shards. Now once he was free, she'd be in
trouble.

...Oh well. This was well worth it. Sweet words wouldn't sway _her._ "I
don't like you, M'lor. Most of the drudges are scared of you. How does that
make you feel good?"

_________________________________________________________________
Tired of slow downloads? Compare online deals from your local high-speed
providers now.  https://broadband.msn.com

((He comes)) If Ariverth hadn't spoken, Jedarina might have
startled, for she hadn't heard him stirring, she'd been too lost in
thought.
"Oh.. well I wasn't going to leave until you got up." She replied,
turning her face. "I didn't want to be rude." She thought wondering
if declining his invitation would be rude or not. Just because he'd
been nice so far, didn't mean he couldn't still get upset with her.
The fact was, that she wasn't hungry, but she still nodded and
said "Alright then, thank you." And got to her feet.
[[Can you move back a little and make way for the elevator
weyrling?]]
Ariverth obligingly moved back, although no weyrling had arrived
yet, and Jedarina nodded to her green and went back quietly into
A'torn's weyr to sit down in a chair and wait.
--------
A few minutes later, a weyrling came, put the plate with food on the
table and left as silent as he had appeared.
As soon as the weyrling had left A'torns weyr, he stood up and
served Ajalita some hot klah and some fruit. There was also some
nice bread, and creamy butter; He himself took some klah and put a
lot of sweeting in it.
"I heard from Silth your weyr is clean now..." he said calmly. He
took a sip of his klah and looked at her. "You look nice in that
dress... I hoped the color would suite you..."

--- Laurie Hicks <l_l_hicks@...> wrote: >
> >
> > "Umm..." Well, there wasn't much reason to try and
> > hide it now. Lynake just hoped that the little
> > trinket
> > wouldn't be too looked down on by the Weyrwoman.
> > "Yes,
> > that was me," she replied with a nod.
> >
>
> "Why, thank you," Kamma said as she opened the
> package.  No matter what rank she was, Kamma was
> still
> a woman who liked little gifts, and as she pulled
> out
> the soapstone dragon, her breath caught.  "It's
> exquisite," she breathed.  "Did you make it?"  It
> was
> hard to believe that someone would have such talent.

~~~

Lynake blushed, but smiled. When it came to something
she'd made the greenrider was not modest. "Yes, ma'am,
I did." She was much more comfortable now that she
knew Kamma liked it. "I thought you should know that
your gift was appreciated. It's just little, but I
thought it kinda looked like Zarith."

________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping"
your friends today! Download Messenger Now
http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html

"No' a good idea to be tired and bathin'," A young boy commented coolly as he
entered with simply a towel wrapped around his bottom half.  "But who m'I to
tell you that, and then follow along with m'eyes barely keepin' open, eh?"  He
walked to the one side of the bathing pool and let go of the towel, slipping in.
Alephi knew that there were...well, "strange" boys in the Candidate Barracks,
but if this other boy was into checking his stuff out, he'd have another say
about that.  "So...what's yer name?  M'Alephi, here with m'sis', Resheph."

**************************

     Pibsas started awake at the question not having realized that there was
someone else there until then.  "I'm Pibsas."  He replied promptly to what he'd
caught of Alephi's introduction.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

The infirmary was fairly quiet as Ryn waited for one
of the apprentences to fill her nearly empty jar of
numbweed. She'd quickly learned to always keep some in
stock, because you never knew what was going to happen
down in the kitchens.
She nodded thanks to the apprentice and left, stowing
the small jar safely away.
Outside the winter air bit at her cheeks. Shards she
wished it would warm up just a little. There weren't
many folk outside, but she did notice a green dragon
with her rider sitting a ways away from the entrance.
She'd seen the rider occasionally on errands to the
infirmary, but didn't know his name. Ryn went on to
the pass the two buy to get back to her dorm, but
paused hearing the last of the riders words to his
dragon. He sounded so heartbroken that even she, who
kept to herself mostly, felt the urge to comfort him.
The drudge stood, wishing there was something she
could do, or should do, but also not wanting to
interrupt.

**************************

     {{I'll be fine, mine.  I just need a nap.}}  Chluysath reassured her rider
not very convincingly since J'vran could feel just how weak she was today.  The
greenrider set his face against the green's hide.  There wasn't much he could do
for her, even lugging a herdbeast over here occasionally won't exactly be
approved.
     "When was the last time you ate, Chluysath?"  He asked as he stepped back,
leaving a hand to pet her hide lovingly.
     {{I'm not sure...but I had half a herdbeast.}}  The green said proudly
though it was question about what she was proud of.
     "Half..."  J'vran paused noticing the person who was standing there watching
and he straightened, smoothing his uniform before facing her.  "Good day, is
there anything you need help with?"  He questioned trying to stick to business.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

{{I'll be fine, mine.  I just need a nap.}}
> Chluysath reassured her rider not very convincingly
> since J'vran could feel just how weak she was today.
>  The greenrider set his face against the green's
> hide.  There wasn't much he could do for her, even
> lugging a herdbeast over here occasionally won't
> exactly be approved.
>     "When was the last time you ate, Chluysath?"  He
> asked as he stepped back, leaving a hand to pet her
> hide lovingly.
>     {{I'm not sure...but I had half a herdbeast.}}
> The green said proudly though it was question about
> what she was proud of.
>     "Half..."  J'vran paused noticing the person who
> was standing there watching and he straightened,
> smoothing his uniform before facing her.  "Good day,
> is there anything you need help with?"  He
> questioned trying to stick to business.
>

~~~

Ryn shook her head, and looked at him with concern.
She reached into her pouch for a bit of hide to write
on, wanting to ask if he was alright, but found the
bag empty. Shardit, she'd left all her writing
materials in her room. With no way to really
communicate with the rider, Ryn settled on just
introducing herself. She pulled out the bronze
medellion that she'd recieved from Kamma and pointed
to her name ingraved on it, then held her hand out to
J'vran.


________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping"
your friends today! Download Messenger Now
http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html

Cud any1 instruct me on where to find the information such as rank
tables so that i can make my character?

Thankyou...And hi to all!

Have you checked out the Fort website? darkfort.co.uk
Hullo to you too! ^.^


  --- Ashley McPherson <oliverwarbucks85@...>
wrote: > Cud any1 instruct me on where to find the
> information such as rank
> tables so that i can make my character?
>
> Thankyou...And hi to all!
>
>

>
>

________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping"
your friends today! Download Messenger Now
http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html

Ryn shook her head, and looked at him with concern.
She reached into her pouch for a bit of hide to write
on, wanting to ask if he was alright, but found the
bag empty. Shardit, she'd left all her writing
materials in her room. With no way to really
communicate with the rider, Ryn settled on just
introducing herself. She pulled out the bronze
medellion that she'd recieved from Kamma and pointed
to her name ingraved on it, then held her hand out to
J'vran.

****************************

     J'vran lifted a and to the medallion for a closer look curiously, noting the
name on it.  "Ryn?"  He asked looking up beginning to realize that perhaps Ryn
couldn't talk.  "I'm J'vran and this is Chluysath."  He introduced himself and
his green.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Cadli searched out the WeyrWoman, in response to her talk with the Candidate
Shavray.  She needed to talk with Kamma about a proposed self-defense class for
the drudges, both male and female, of the Weyr.  Since Kamma had taught her,
Cadli, some very effective ways of self-defense, Cadli knew that the Gold rider
was aware of what some of the more ... abrasive ..... elements of the two-legged
population of the Weyr  could, and did, do to those who were perceived as
weaker, or 'less than', or both.
  Kamma wasn't in the first place Cadli looked, though, and not in the second
place.
  However, reflecting slightly on the new duties of the WeyrWoman, she thought of
a likely place to find the woman, and went there........


ooc:  and where does Cadli *find* Kamma?   :-)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Whew.
  Cadli had survived the interview with the Candidate Master with probably equal
marks to both, she felt.
But now she needed to talk with the senior Gold rider of the Weyr.  So thinking,
she started down the corridors to Dirma's Weyr, and then paused at her door, and
knocked.
  "Dirma?  It's me, Cadli" she called, speaking a little louder than her usual
soft-spoken, quiet, voice.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> She wondered, again, if the other Gold riders would return from 'wherever'
they went, in time to come to the little feast.
   >"I saw," Kamma said dryly as she stroked the velvety softness of the tabard. 
She already had something picked out but this...this was perfect.  She gave
Cadli a warm smile.  "I'll definitely wear this today."
    >Carefully, she took the tabard and put it on her bed. Her fingers seemed
loathe to leave it, it was so soft.
    >Turning back to Cadli, she gave the younger woman a serious look.  "Cadli,
now that I'm WeyrWoman, I don't want you doing drudge work any more.  I'm not
Masena, and I'd rather you did things useful to me."

      Cadli blinked in surprise.  She really didn't think of what she did as
drudge work, mostly because it was Masena, after all, who had told her what to
do, and Masena knew that she was a Gold rider.  Besides, it was what she had
done in her parent's home, when important guests would come to dine.  They
hadn't many servants, and while Cadli wasn't allowed to cook, she was very good
at preparing rooms for feasts, and dinners.
      "Ah, what do you mean?" she asked, carefully feeling out what Kamma could
be getting to.




     >   ooc:  umm, playing this like Cadli didn't see
      Kamma, as she left the Weyrleader Room (as you wrote), and quickly went to
the new Weyr of the man Weyrleader, then to her own Weyr and then that of
Kamma's.  And that Kamma came back to her own Weyr, for some reason?  I saw that
Kamma is talking with Lydiara in the Weyrleader Room.    (eeep, sorry but the
threads seem to have almost conflicted timewise).
     ooc:  shows you how much attention I was paying.
     Thought this was another day.  Fuzzy time is just
     sooooo good to us, isn't it? LOL
     ooc:  love fuzzy time.... :-))))


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

A few minutes later, a weyrling came, put the plate with food on the
table and left as silent as he had appeared.
As soon as the weyrling had left A'torns weyr, he stood up and
served Ajalita some hot klah and some fruit. There was also some
nice bread, and creamy butter; He himself took some klah and put a
lot of sweeting in it.
"I heard from Silth your weyr is clean now..." he said calmly. He
took a sip of his klah and looked at her. "You look nice in that
dress... I hoped the color would suite you..."

****
Jedarina nodded "I hope they don't come back." She spoke softly, then
shuddered. "Thank you for your help. I'll have to thank Tiliana later if I
see her." She glanced down at her dress and smiled, then looked back up.
"It's very pretty, thank you." It was also tightly fitting and clung to her
every curve, showing them to their fullest advantage. Just the sort of dress
that men seemed to like to see her in.
"But I didn't get anything for you." she said, looking embarrased and
turning red.
"I'm sorry."

~Jedarina~

>>>Nadreaa turned startled to face Haklat.  Somehow it didn't seem that
surprising to notice the younger kid there.  She supposed that she should take
what attention she could get.  "I'm Nadreaa."  She responded with a smile trying
to be friendly.  "What are you doing all the way over here?"<<<

      Haklat grinned with sarcasm. "I'm talkin' to you'" was his reply. "From
over there," his finger pointed in the direction of where he previously was,
"you looked sorta lonely and so was I so I figured a conversation would be
nice." He looked at her with that same grin plastered on his face as he waited
for her reply.




---------------------------------
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

She could have let it rest there, but Kamma was still
a little concerned that the Candidate Master did not
know C'vald's leanings.  "How do you propose to deal
with it then?" she asked sardonically.

"Speak to him, speak to the Candidates, if neccesary replace him, if not
*certainly* have someone watching in his classes who knows to report back to
me after each one." M'ayen replied without hesitation.

Cadli frowned, remembering some ways that the male dragonriders thought
that the women 'should' make themselves useful --- then remembered something
else that she and Shavray had talked about.  She hadn't had a chance to talk
with Kamma about the self-defense classes yet, though.  Prudence being the
greater part of valour (as she told herself), she decided to let 'Kamma'
talk with the Candidate Master about it.
    "You are certainly correct, Candidate Master.  As many girls are here, it
is very unlikely that they will all Impress gold."
    She stood, indicating that, to her at least, her visit was done.

"Good day to yo, goldrider." M'ayen didn't stop her leaving but offered her
a smile and nod of farewell instead. He was a busy man after all.

>  Whew.
>  Cadli had survived the interview with the Candidate Master
> with probably equal marks to both, she felt. But now she
> needed to talk with the senior Gold rider of the Weyr.  So
> thinking, she started down the corridors to Dirma's Weyr, and
> then paused at her door, and knocked.  "Dirma?  It's me,
> Cadli" she called, speaking a little louder than her usual
> soft-spoken, quiet, voice.

That distracted her train of thought. Dirma had seemed to have more and
more trouble with that impudent serving girl these days and she had been
staring into her fire contemplating what she could do to stop her. Short
of having her sent from the weyr that was.

The voice roused her attention, and she went to open the door. "Ah,
Cadli," she said on seeing who it was. "Do come in. You can make us some
klah, the fire is hot."

She could have made klah herself, but when she had a younger rider who
was far more able, it seemed fitting to persuade her to do it instead.

>Cadli had survived the interview with the Candidate Master with probably
equal marks to both, she felt. But now she needed to talk with the senior Gold
rider of the Weyr.  So thinking, she started down the corridors to Dirma's Weyr,
and then paused at her door, and knocked.  "Dirma?  It's me, Cadli" she called,
speaking a little louder than her usual soft-spoken, quiet, voice.
   >That distracted her train of thought. Dirma had seemed to have more and more
trouble with that impudent serving girl these days and she had been
   staring into her fire contemplating what she could do to stop her. Short of
having her sent from the weyr that was.
   >The voice roused her attention, and she went to open the door. "Ah, Cadli,"
she said on seeing who it was. "Do come in. You can make us some
   klah, the fire is hot."
   >She could have made klah herself, but when she had a younger rider who was
far more able, it seemed fitting to persuade her to do it instead.

     "Yes, Goldrider!"  It was comfortable for Cadli to stay in the familiar
routine of service, so she immediately went to prepare the pot and water for
heating, and shredded some klah bark for when it boiled.  That done, she looked
towards Dirma... was there anything else the older woman would want done before
Cadli could talk about what she came here for?



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

> "You are certainly correct, Candidate Master.  As many girls are here, it is
very unlikely that they will all Impress gold."
   > She stood, indicating that, to her at least, her visit was done.
   >"Good day to yo, goldrider." M'ayen didn't stop her leaving but offered her a
smile and nod of farewell instead. He was a busy man after all.

    "And to you, Candidate Master M'ayen.  Thank you again for the lovely
present!"
    With that, the young Goldrider curtesied with a respect due to the man's
position in the Weyr, and left his office,  busy thinking about what she needed
to say to Kamma, and wondering if the Candidate Shavray would  have to,
sometime, also talk with the new WeyrWoman.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

***C'vald calmed down slightly now that he was reassured Lydiara was
alright, and he could concentrate on his meal.  It would have been stupid to
pass up such a wonderful opportunity and he didn't once think of any strings
that might be attached to it.  It was exactly as she'd said it - returning a
favour - in his eyes.  "Just let me get a bit more presentable?" he said,
leaning over the other side of the bed to collect some slacks and quickly
throw them on.  "As for the lesson, I suspect to get a good beating thrice
over for some of the 'silly notions' that I brought up, but it's just not
right.  Riders being tormented physically and mentally, thought of as equal
to drudges..." he paused, looking at her with wide-eyes.  "I meant no
offense, but surely you see that the hierarchy needs to be honoured a bit
more precisely." He sighed a deep, regretful sigh.  "Bah, I don't see myself
lasting here very long.  And if they shove Tsyrikith and I out, then so be
it.  At least maybe I've gotten through to some of those poor Candidates,
regardless of the consequences."***

Discreetly Lydiara averted her eyes while the Brownrider went along with his
morning toiletries, humming to herself as she prepared him a plate with a
little bit of everything on it, and set the small table for him.  Her
eyebrow rose at his comments, her lips quirked an amused smile.  This man,
so full of himself, of his own invincibilities. Naiveté? Calculated? Or
simply the burdensom problem of being a thinking man? Ah, men, so pompous
with their own rightesnous.  It was part of what adored them to her.

Yet, down in the bottom her heart heart. In the dark corners she'd walled
away. A small part of her wanted to believe in him too, the way he seemed to
believe in himself. Part of her knew, just perhaps, the fact that he was
right.  Dragonriders ought to be honored, not treated as drudges.  It was a
notion she had tried to make Goldrider Cadli understand, much to her
disappointment that Cadli was too brainwashed to get it.  There was a
hierarchy, it must be respected.

But the rest of what he had said, the spoken just as much as the implied.
She hadn't grown up in this Weyr, living seventeen turns of witnessed
horrors, to place that life on the line now!  Things were well for her.  She
had her duty, stone over her head, a life while not full of creature
comforts was at least devoid of their sufferings. Things were the way they
were for a reason! It was how people survived. The more a Greenrider
suffered, it was one less beating she herself would be subjected to.

"Consequences?" her voice was a speculitive drawl hedging on restrained
anger.  Lydiara did not look at C'vald, she couldn't.  Aggitated as she was,
she needed to do, and the young woman fussed about the weyr as she spoke,
sorting fallen laundry, dusting, tidying with crisp, sharp movements.

Her voice was steady and evenly clipped, scolding, "Yes, let us speak of the
consequences shall we?  Did you ever think of the consequences your words
have brought upon your students?  You may be gone from Fort, but what of
those you leave behind?  What happens to them when they try to put to
practice what you taught?  Did you think their young Dragons' would bare the
burden of..." she stuttered, "of, of their physical and mental tourment as
the Weyrlingmaster beats them thrice over for voicing some 'silly notions'
they might have picked up as Candidates?"

She wheeled around, her eyes hard, grey ice the color of sky before spring
storms. They glared at him. Her whole tiny body was tense, her hands on her
hips to prevent herself from trembling. "And you would simply take Tsyrikith
off into the sunset?" she scoffed, "Some teacher you are."

Then she laughed.  Lydiara was not a very pretty person when she was angry,
and the laughter only made her seem more wicked. "Provide, that is, they let
you leave."
~~Lydiara

>
>     J'vran lifted a and to the medallion for a
> closer look curiously, noting the name on it.
> "Ryn?"  He asked looking up beginning to realize
> that perhaps Ryn couldn't talk.  "I'm J'vran and
> this is Chluysath."  He introduced himself and his
> green.

~~~

Ryn inclined her head to the green, not forgetting the
respect she'd been taught to give dragons, and would
have wished her a good day had she been able to. But
dragons could hear thoughts, right? So perhaps
Chluysath heard her anyway.
With a smile she nodded to J'vran as well. Then she
felt suddenly sheepish. She'd forgotten how difficult
it could be to communicate without her pen and hide.
But there was always a way. She bent down, writing in
the snow with her finger, 'Are you alright?', and
grinned, pleased with the solution.

________________________________________________________________________
Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping"
your friends today! Download Messenger Now
http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com/download/index.html

> ***C'vald calmed down slightly now that he was reassured Lydiara was
> alright, and he could concentrate on his meal.  It would have been stupid
to
> pass up such a wonderful opportunity and he didn't once think of any
strings
> that might be attached to it.  It was exactly as she'd said it - returning
a
> favour - in his eyes.  "Just let me get a bit more presentable?" he said,
> leaning over the other side of the bed to collect some slacks and quickly
> throw them on.  "As for the lesson, I suspect to get a good beating thrice
> over for some of the 'silly notions' that I brought up, but it's just not
> right.  Riders being tormented physically and mentally, thought of as
equal
> to drudges..." he paused, looking at her with wide-eyes.  "I meant no
> offense, but surely you see that the hierarchy needs to be honoured a bit
> more precisely." He sighed a deep, regretful sigh.  "Bah, I don't see
myself
> lasting here very long.  And if they shove Tsyrikith and I out, then so be
> it.  At least maybe I've gotten through to some of those poor Candidates,
> regardless of the consequences."***
>
> Discreetly Lydiara averted her eyes while the Brownrider went along with
his
> morning toiletries, humming to herself as she prepared him a plate with a
> little bit of everything on it, and set the small table for him.  Her
> eyebrow rose at his comments, her lips quirked an amused smile.  This man,
> so full of himself, of his own invincibilities. Naiveté? Calculated? Or
> simply the burdensom problem of being a thinking man? Ah, men, so pompous
> with their own rightesnous.  It was part of what adored them to her.
>
> Yet, down in the bottom her heart heart. In the dark corners she'd walled
> away. A small part of her wanted to believe in him too, the way he seemed
to
> believe in himself. Part of her knew, just perhaps, the fact that he was
> right.  Dragonriders ought to be honored, not treated as drudges.  It was
a
> notion she had tried to make Goldrider Cadli understand, much to her
> disappointment that Cadli was too brainwashed to get it.  There was a
> hierarchy, it must be respected.
>
> But the rest of what he had said, the spoken just as much as the implied.
> She hadn't grown up in this Weyr, living seventeen turns of witnessed
> horrors, to place that life on the line now!  Things were well for her.
She
> had her duty, stone over her head, a life while not full of creature
> comforts was at least devoid of their sufferings. Things were the way they
> were for a reason! It was how people survived. The more a Greenrider
> suffered, it was one less beating she herself would be subjected to.
>
> "Consequences?" her voice was a speculitive drawl hedging on restrained
> anger.  Lydiara did not look at C'vald, she couldn't.  Aggitated as she
was,
> she needed to do, and the young woman fussed about the weyr as she spoke,
> sorting fallen laundry, dusting, tidying with crisp, sharp movements.
>
> Her voice was steady and evenly clipped, scolding, "Yes, let us speak of
the
> consequences shall we?  Did you ever think of the consequences your words
> have brought upon your students?  You may be gone from Fort, but what of
> those you leave behind?  What happens to them when they try to put to
> practice what you taught?  Did you think their young Dragons' would bare
the
> burden of..." she stuttered, "of, of their physical and mental tourment as
> the Weyrlingmaster beats them thrice over for voicing some 'silly notions'
> they might have picked up as Candidates?"
>
> She wheeled around, her eyes hard, grey ice the color of sky before spring
> storms. They glared at him. Her whole tiny body was tense, her hands on
her
> hips to prevent herself from trembling. "And you would simply take
Tsyrikith
> off into the sunset?" she scoffed, "Some teacher you are."
>
> Then she laughed.  Lydiara was not a very pretty person when she was
angry,
> and the laughter only made her seem more wicked. "Provide, that is, they
let
> you leave."

"H'rakhti values the same principles as I, for I have spoken with him on
many an occasion.  And our new Weyrleaders are not the same as K'met and
Masena were; oh, I've heard the stories." C'vald looked at her coolly.  She
was still just a drudge, and she was wearing on his good patience.  "If the
situations you speak of are to truly occur, and my life ends up travelling a
path I did not seek, then there is no hope for this Weyr and it would do you
good to leave.  Now, before you wear my patience any thinner with your
rambling, I wish to eat in peace."

> Closing the door behind the brownrider, Nadra
> reached out a hand, tracing
> the carved animals on the back of the chair. She
> smiled slightly, glancing
> up at M'lor. "It's a bit big for the baby, don't you
> think?" Leaning over,
> she kissed his cheek and hugged him swiftly," Thank
> you," she said, and
> smiled. "If there's anything you have that needs
> mending, bring it to me,
> please. I'll do those first." It wasn't much in the
> way of a gift...but it
> was a start.
>

M'lor blushed.  He /blushed,/ for Faranth's sake!  The
brownrider wasn't used to being at a loss for words,
but the brownrider was normally off somewhere doing
his own thing.

"Uh, thanks," he said somewhat uncomfortably.  "I
will."  Glancing around her quarters, he wondered what
to say. Well, there was always the obvious.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked.  Actually, he
did want to know.  After all, since she had felt the
need to tell him about this child, now he wanted it to
be born healthy.  A healthy mother meant a healthy
child - didn't it?

=====
North Ranges Weyr:
      Avalyn/Gold Trinath -- Tr'gar/Bronze Relinath --  Z'kryn/Brown Ardeth
      Kenli/Green Razith --  Weyrbrats Willin & Calynn --  Lady's Maid Maire

DarkFort Weyr
      Kamma/Gold Zarith --  T'ril/Bronze Garanth --  M'lor/Brown Gunath
      P'tan/Blue Qimath --  Drudges Margana & Haliena

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
http://search.yahoo.com/top2003

> "Well I can't argue with that," she said happily
> when he had finished.
> Leaning over his face, she smiled, letting her hair
> fall across his neck and
> chin. "You are certainly a fool." Pulling back, she
> smiled sardonically,
> letting her gaze do a once-over again. "I don't
> think I will," she said
> sweetly. "You seem to be enjoying it quite a bit. I
> wouldn't want to take
> that away from you." You sadistic, male
> nymphomaniac, you. This was rather
> fun. Demarga liked the deed, if not the company.
> "You know," she said,
> smiling slightly. "I should open that door a bit
> wider, so every passing
> drudge can have a good laugh. We all need one so
> badly, to pass the day by."
> She wasn't much better than a drudge, even if they
> called her a candidate.
> Grinning, she inched forward, taking for granted
> that there was little he
> could do to stop her.With one arm on each side of
> his torso, she leaned down
> a bit. "I could show you what it's like," she said
> softly. "Waking up with
> bruises on you skin, in pain. I've wanted to for a
> while, now. But, this
> just ruins it. I think you may enjoy it." Pulling
> back, she slapped him,
> scowling - and regreted it. Shards. Now once he was
> free, she'd be in
> trouble.
>
> ...Oh well. This was well worth it. Sweet words
> wouldn't sway _her._ "I
> don't like you, M'lor. Most of the drudges are
> scared of you. How does that
> make you feel good?"

His heart lifted as she came near again, sure his kind
words would have caused her to untie him.  Instead,
she teased him, then, to add insult to injury, slapped
him.  Unfortunately, yes, it did excite him.  Her slap
excited him, her words excited him.  Her /hate/
excited him!

"Yes, I would enjoy it," he spat, fury in his dark
eyes.  "I'd enjoy it even more if I had your neck
between my hands and was choking the life out of you."
  The muscles of his forearms bulged with his words as
his hands made choking movements. Lucky for Demarga,
the bonds held.


=====
North Ranges Weyr:
      Avalyn/Gold Trinath -- Tr'gar/Bronze Relinath --  Z'kryn/Brown Ardeth
      Kenli/Green Razith --  Weyrbrats Willin & Calynn --  Lady's Maid Maire

DarkFort Weyr
      Kamma/Gold Zarith --  T'ril/Bronze Garanth --  M'lor/Brown Gunath
      P'tan/Blue Qimath --  Drudges Margana & Haliena

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
http://search.yahoo.com/top2003

>
> Lynake blushed, but smiled. When it came to
> something
> she'd made the greenrider was not modest. "Yes,
> ma'am,
> I did." She was much more comfortable now that she
> knew Kamma liked it. "I thought you should know that
> your gift was appreciated. It's just little, but I
> thought it kinda looked like Zarith."
>

The carving did, in fact, capture the haughteur of
Kamma's gold.  Not all dragons held themselves in that
way.  The more she looked, the more like Zarith the
carving became. (Ah, the power of suggestion.)

"Well, thank you," Kamma said again, turning the
carving over and over in her hands.  "I'm glad you
liked your gift, also."

=====
North Ranges Weyr:
      Avalyn/Gold Trinath -- Tr'gar/Bronze Relinath --  Z'kryn/Brown Ardeth
      Kenli/Green Razith --  Weyrbrats Willin & Calynn --  Lady's Maid Maire

DarkFort Weyr
      Kamma/Gold Zarith --  T'ril/Bronze Garanth --  M'lor/Brown Gunath
      P'tan/Blue Qimath --  Drudges Margana & Haliena

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
http://search.yahoo.com/top2003

>  Cadli searched out the WeyrWoman, in response to
> her talk with the Candidate Shavray.  She needed to
> talk with Kamma about a proposed self-defense class
> for the drudges, both male and female, of the Weyr.
> Since Kamma had taught her, Cadli, some very
> effective ways of self-defense, Cadli knew that the
> Gold rider was aware of what some of the more ...
> abrasive ..... elements of the two-legged population
> of the Weyr  could, and did, do to those who were
> perceived as weaker, or 'less than', or both.
>  Kamma wasn't in the first place Cadli looked,
> though, and not in the second place.
>  However, reflecting slightly on the new duties of
> the WeyrWoman, she thought of a likely place to find
> the woman, and went there........
>

Kamma was, in fact, in her 'office'.  This office was
actually another room adjacent to both hers and the
Weyrleader's weyrs, where they could keep all the
current Weyr records.  Kamma was going over last
Turn's tithes and expenses - appalled at how much
Masena had frivolously spent on herself.  At least
she, Kamma, had used her own personal marks for her
Midwinter gifts!  Granted, she had almost nothing left
now, but their winemaking venture should help.

Shaking her head free of her random thoughts, Kamma
went back to work on the Weyr's books.  There were
herdbeasts to be brought in for the new Hatchlings -
granted, Zarith hadn't Clutched yet, but she would,
and there would be Hatchlings.  She pushed away from
the table and frowned.  She needed something to drink.



> ooc:  and where does Cadli *find* Kamma?   :-)

ooc: getting some beauty sleep in the Records Room.
Wait - no, that was when Masena was Weyrwoman!

=====
North Ranges Weyr:
      Avalyn/Gold Trinath -- Tr'gar/Bronze Relinath --  Z'kryn/Brown Ardeth
      Kenli/Green Razith --  Weyrbrats Willin & Calynn --  Lady's Maid Maire

DarkFort Weyr
      Kamma/Gold Zarith --  T'ril/Bronze Garanth --  M'lor/Brown Gunath
      P'tan/Blue Qimath --  Drudges Margana & Haliena

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Find out what made the Top Yahoo! Searches of 2003
http://search.yahoo.com/top2003