[Log] Reasons Why
Who: Felix, I'daur
When: Day 7, Month 3, Turn 10
Where: Weyrling Training Room, High Reaches Weyr
What: I'daur meets with Felix.
Weyrling Training Room
This large room was cut deep into the cliff side and is lit only by glows. There are two large stone tables running east and west. Behind each table is a stone bench for the weyrlings to sit on, not very comfortable admittedly, but wood is too valuable to use for this purpose. At the north end of the room is a smaller stone table and chair, used by the WeyrlingMaster. Behind that lies a map of the northern continent, the areas that each Weyr protects carefully marked.
On the east wall is a detailed depiction of a dragon's wing with the anatomy clearly marked. If you look at the west wall, it's covered with many Wing formations. In the back of the room are a couple old, scratched up couches. Originally they were in the colors of High Reaches Weyr, one black, one dark blue, but now it's a little difficult to tell which is which.
Obvious exits:
Bowl Weyrling Barracks
Felix
Her pale blonde hair is prettier when it's left down, but Felix keeps it up anyway to avoid it getting in the way while she works. Aside from the bits that escape and frizz about, that particular plan tends to come off without a hitch. Her face is left open and within plain view, roundish cheeks and a small, slightly upturned nose somewhat at odds with the sharp jawline and the stubborn set of her chin. Her eyes are big and blue, a kind of ocean after the storm greyness in them; heavy eyelashes surround them, and above her eyebrows arch, thick and rarely groomed. She doesn't waste time with her looks, whether or not by choice, and it shows. At 5'4", she's a bit on the small side, with callused hands and a fullness to her frame. She's 16 Turns, 9 months, and 28 days old.
What she wears reflects her lifestyle. Durable materials and fabrics suited for keeping her warm in those harsh winters and lots of layers. So long as she can roll up her sleeves without a fuss she's happy. Her trademark is an olive green coverall jumper stained with various smudges of oil and dirt, some faded and some not. It's a favorite article and customized so. She's sewn a fluffy looking kitten patch high up on one of the legs; the top half can be unbuttoned and tied around her waist via the sleeves.
High Reaches' colors and a single thread of bright blue mark her a weyrling in the newly impressed ranks.
During the late afternoon, the weyrlings' free time, I'daur has scheduled another round of meetings with them. Right now, he's seated at his desk, leaned back in his chair as he waits for the current meetee to arrive.
Felix wanders in, her hands in her pockets and a smear of some kind on the front of her shirt. Bother. When she sees I'daur she beams a grin at him and snaps off a salute. "Hello, Weyrlingmaster, sir!" Chirp. Chirpchirp.
Lazily, I'daur returns Felix's salute as he watches her. "Come in--Felix." Even after four months, and even knowing who's coming in next, some of the human names give him pause--namely, the four girls on blue. Still, he waves this one forward, gesturing to one of the chairs in the room. "Have a seat. How are you and Whuaith?"
Felix obeys, plops herself into a seat and clasps her hands in her lap. Her eyebrows lift, an expectant look on her face. "Oh! We're both just fine, thanks. He's, ya know, always askin' questions." There's a slight note of hysteria in her tone on that last note - always. asking. questions. - but she's still grinning. "How about you'n Zunaeth?"
"We're all right," I'daur answers the question with a nod. "Doing pretty good." He studies Felix a moment in silence; he's noted that edge to her voice. "Questions, hmm?" he muses after a moment. "Anything in particular he wants to know about, or he just still at that stage where /everything/ is new?"
Felix puts her head to one side, scratches at the side of her nose, and thinks. Hm. "Well, his memory ain't all that good, just like you told us all of their memories wouldn't be so good, so some things get to the point where they're new all over again." She rolls her eyes. "And he just wants t'know everything, he likes t'make smartalecky little comments'n things. It ain't hardly a burden, but when he wakes me up in the middle of the night t'ask why my hair's different than one o'the other girls', well." She shrugs her shoulders. What're you gonna do?
What're you gonna do? "Explain to him the meaning of 'curfew,' Felix," says I'daur. "You tell him his comments can wait until morning. I don't want him keeping you up all hours of the night so you're dead on your feet for tomorrow. All right? He can ask you whatever he wants--at the right time."
"Oh." Felix blinks big eyes. Clearly she wasn't expecting, like, a /solution/. She flops both hands in her lap, twining her fingers. "Oh, okay. Yeah. I guess I just... Ya know, when it comes t'things like eatin' and bathin', I put my foot down, but I didn't know just questions were all that bad." But she pauses, looks up at the ceiling. "It'd be nice t'/not/ get woken up though. So yeah. I'll do it."
"It's not the questions," says I'daur, shaking his head. "Nothing wrong with questions and wanting to learn things. It's the proper place for them that he needs to learn now. You need your sleep a little more than he needs to know matters of fashion. And considering you're going to be living with him the rest of your life, too, y'oughta put a stop to it early." He pauses a moment, silent, then asks a new question: "How are your lessons going? With the harpers?"
"Right. Yeah." Definitely going to nip that in the bud. Felix kicks her feet and bounces some in her chair. When the subject of harpers is brought to the fore, she pauses and stares. Uhoh. "Uh. Well. Good." She nods quickly, swallows. So good. "Think I might irritate 'em sometimes though. They don't think I wanna learn nothin' from 'em."
"Do you." I'daur studies Felix a moment, then asks, "Any particular reason they seem to think that?"
Felix must have known that was coming. Her shoulders lift with a sigh, and on the exhale she says in a very soft voice, "It's the etiquette stuff." And, to elaborate, she adds, "Talkin' right and actin' proper. It ain't a big part o'the lessons or anything, but they folks've always sorta had trouble seein' me for who I am and not for how I talk or act. My teacher Karl always had t'explain that I wasn't just some bumpkin he picked up somewhere, that I actually could work on their 'throwers or help maybe teachin' numbers t'their kids. That 'm not stupid."
"Why do you think they want you to be able to talk good and present yourself intelligently, Felix?" I'daur counters with another question.
"'Cause I represent the Weyr now," is Felix's abrupt reply. Oh yes, she's heard that before.
"Uh-huh," says I'daur, nodding once. "Pretty much. You know why /I/ want you to be able to do it?"
/That/ one she hasn't heard. Felix's immediat response is a blink, very nonverbal, but she recovers and shakes her head very slightly. Either to further express her not knowing or to twitch herself out of that weird little trance. "Uh. No, sir. Why d'/you/ want me t'be able t'do it?"
"Because you're representing yourself, too," I'daur answers matter-of-factly. "And if you can't tell 'em about numbers and flamethrowers and sound smart doing it, they're not going to listen. I'm not expecting you to talk like some kind of Lady or the Masterharper himself all the time, just... know how to do it, and be able to sound reasonably sensical when you need to."
Felix falls silent to reflect on that, lowering her eyes to her lap and pouting some. In a thoughtful way, of course. It's the only mode of pouting she's capable of. "Well." That's after a moment of pause. "S'pose I could put on a show when it ain't my friends or anything around."
"O' course," agrees I'daur, with a nod. "For them harpers, at least--keep 'em off your back. Might make 'em wonder at a change of heart, but it'd be good for them." He shrugs. Then, after a moment, he asks, "You used a flamethrower before? Don't think you were old enough to have been out on groundcrew during 'Fall."
Felix's smile is a small and slow one. She's comforted, apparently. "'Specially some o'them old ones." Snerk. His question earns her full attention, a small furrow forming between her eyebrows. "Oh, no, sir. I weren't ever on the crew. Maintenance, see. I only ever used 'em in testin', t'make sure all the bits were workin' right."
"We'll be flaming in another couple, three months," I'daur says musingly. "Don't know what kind of shape the Weyr's are in, if the weyrwomen keep 'em up and running good, but I like to make sure people understand the basics of them, even if the only one that's gonna have to use one is the goldrider. Never know when it might come in handy." He pauses a moment to study Felix again. "You think you could help out a little with that? Been a long time since I messed with one, considering the weyrlingmaster at Monaco didn't think much of that whole idea. Never could do more than point and shoot in the first place."
"Tiptop, sir. Me'n Karl made sure o'that." Felix is beaming again on this note. /This/ is something she can warm up to talking about. His request helps that, of course. "'Course I could! I'm used t'demonstrations'n things. And everyone in class is real smart, shouldn't be a difficulty, gettin' 'em used to usin' 'em."
Felix's enthusiasm brings a half-smile to I'daur's lips, and he nods once. "All right. I'll let you know when we need to start breaking 'em out and taking a look over them," he tells her. "And maybe you can be our guest lecturer for that day."
Felix's grin is huge. "I'd really like that, sir. I'd like that a lot." She ducks her head, suddenly shy, but recovers quickly. "Thanks a lot, sir. For everything."
Brushing off the thanks with a wave of his hand, I'daur asks, "All right. Anything else on your mind, Felix?"
Felix is the overeager little young person, for sure. She just keeps beaming at him, despite his casual brush-off. It's all good! Anything else? She tones her grin down and thinks. "Well. It's only been three months so far. Everything's still all new'n everything. So yeah, I guess there's lots on my mind." Aheh. "But nothin' specific's comin' t'mind."
"All right, then," I'daur repeats, nodding once more. "Get on back to Whuaith. Thanks for coming by."
Once excused, Felix hops to her feet and stands at attention. "Thanks again, sir." A pause; she pivots some with her feet fixed in place, hands fidgeting in front. "'M glad you're our teacher." And, that said, she gets out before she has the chance to put her foot in her mouth.