When I Was Your Age
Location: Main Encampment
Time: Lunch on Day 2, Month 12, Turn 2
Players: J'lor and Lili
Scene: Lili's having a hard time and J'lor confides a secret.
On a Western Island, Deep in the Forest
It's a pleasant island, made moreso by the work of many hands. Stone cliffs on the leeward side make a home for dragons, a large cavern at the base home to the rest in all but the worst rain season. Tropical forest covers most of the island, though there is a small plot of land near the cliffs for cultivated crops and beasts, and the exiles have even added a small dock for the small fishing boats made from the wood of the native trees.
The smoke of fires for cooking, heating water from the freshwater stream that bubbles through the center of the camp, and even the occasional resmithing of old metal traces a hazy line above the island.
The wet season is marked by heavy grey and black clouds that hang perpetually in the sky. Some days, the covering is so thick that even midday feels like evening. The rains vary from a steady fall to a heavy relentless pounding, occasionally stopping completely for ten or fifteen minutes.
Of slightly less than average height, and a slim build, Lili doesn't stand out in a crowd; her straight blond hair is mostly kept neatly brushed and tied back, and bluntly chopped at her shoulders - thin layers around her face sometimes stray into her dark blue eyes. She's not curvaceous at all, and in fact, at first glance one might put her age at around twelve turns. The only clue to her /real/ number is the definition contained in her face, highset cheekbones aren't filled with the chubbiness that such youth generally brings.
Her clothing is appropriate for her status. A short tunic, decidedly worn-looking, combines with patched trousers to form a set of 'working' clothes. Her shoes, tough-looking boots, are rather scuffed and worn, but still funtional.
Dark brown hair has been gathered back into a queue that falls from the nape of this man's neck to the base of his shoulders. His face is angular, a widow's peak adding to the edges of his features. His eyes are almond-shaped and wideset, an unremarkable carob-brown beneath dark slashes of brows. A spinner's web of tiny lines have begun to fan out from the corners of his eyes. Nose is small but sharp and his mouth is thin. While clean-shaven seems to be the general intent, the man's jawline is often darkened by forgotten-about stubble. Perhaps the most endearing and unexpected feature, a deep dimple flashes in his left cheek when he smiles. Weather and time have deepened his skin into a warm tan.
Tall and lean at 6'4", the man is clothed in a shirt of rough linen dyed a deep wine red. Stitches along the shoulder are too large and the right side sports a patch of cloth that unsuccessfully attempts to mimic the same shade as the rest of the shirt. Sleeves have been rolled up to the elbows and long arms are corded not with bulk but with wiry strength. Legs have been tucked into brown trousers, more properly made and of wherry hide, and shoes are formed from the same material though colored a little darker.
The man looks to be somewhere between forty and fifty turns.
--
Most people are eating lunch, or doing what chores they can under the protection of shelter. She's not. She's looking about, looking about, taking advantage of another convenient lull in the rain to wander in search of... "Mister J'lor?" Across the clearing, she picks a figure that may or may not be the bluerider in question. Lili starts that way, hugging something suspiciously rabbitskin-shaped to her chest.
The bluerider stands in the entry to the main cavern that people gather in during poor weather or during threadfall. He hold a bowl and spoon carved from wood and eats what is most likely some sort of fish stew. The motions are methodical, the man's gaze is distant, his thoughts wandering somewhere beyond his body. It is J'lor's name that snaps him out of his musings and the rider straightens as a small, towheaded figure makes her way over. "Yes, Lili? What is it?"
Lili's relieved; she's already mistaken two other men for her Weyrlingmaster, and spent a great number of minutes apologising to both. "Nothin' important, if you're eating?" Her blue eyes widen as they drop down to the bowl, both to peek at what's on the menu for lunch and to indicate her willingness to wait for a more proper time to interrupt.
The bluerider's smile is slow and warm. "I have few skills to boast of, but I believe eating and listening all at the same time is one of them." J'lor lowers himself into a crouch so he might peer up and Lili might peer down, for once. "Tell me, my dear."
Lili beams a grin at that, again relieved. She misinterprets his crouch, however, and drops down after him, resting her elbows on her knees for balance. "Hey, thanks. Well, um, I first wanted to show you my stitches - see, they're better here, and here? D'rian helped me this morning, and gave me his needle to practice with. Coz it's straighter than mine." On the skin she holds out, there are indeed two rows out of five that include neat, mostly straight, mostly uniform stitches.
The bowl is set down and the rabbit skin gentle taken. "D'rian did that, hmm?" he asks softly as J'lor's dark eyes study the newer work. "These are much improved, Lili. Excellent job." He looks back up, holding out the rabbit hide to return it to her.
"He even smiled, once," the girl notes proudly, rolling her shoulders back a little as she takes her skin back. "I've tried to be less annoying to him, so I reckon it's working. Because he offered to help, I didn't ask him. But I did say thank you. Twice." She's looking down now, admiring her - and D'rian's - work. "There's one other thing, too..."
"You must be patient with D'rian," J'lor notes gently. "He's learning many things. Don't give up on him, yet." His head cants to the side, brows tipping downward. "What else?"
Matter-of-factly she agrees, "He's pretty nice, when he's not busy being mini-M'uri." But Lili isn't here to discuss D'rian, evidenced by her quick shift to her next question. "Anyway." She huffs a short sigh. "Um. I kinda noticed I'm... not as strong as most of the other weyrlings, or as fast. Actually, Em noticed it. And I know it'll come with practice, or whatever, but do you reckon there's anything... maybe extra, that I can do? To get, like, up to speed?"
There is a long moment of pondering as J'lor perhaps considers this or perhaps simply studies Lili's frame to assess her up-to-speeding capabilities. "I can show you some exercises that you can practice. I notice it's the lifting mostly, I think, that's your biggest trouble. You're going to need to build your upper body strength somewhat."
Lili's eyebrows settle high during the pause, and she straightens her back a bit to help with the assessment, if needed. She nods. "More exercises, that'd help. I don't mind doing stuff in my free time, or lunchtime, if I have to. I just hate being behind everyone, you know?"
"No one's getting left behind, Lili. You're all starting in different places and it's my task to bring everyone from all those places to the same place. Metaphorically speaking. So. I don't want you training over lunch. You'll need the food and some time to rest in the middle of the day. But we'll go over some lifting exercises and for now, until you're a bit stronger, we'll lighten the bags you carry during the daily run." A small smile from the bluerider. "Just until you're ready for more."
Lili looks almost disappointed at that response, her shoulders and eyebrows sagging. "Oh. I can still carry the heavy bags, but. Honest, I can! It just makes me a bit slower than everyone. But that's ok. Extra lifting exercises would be good, but."
"But?" J'lor presses, his head cants in the other direction. "Is something else distressing you, Lili?"
Lili looks puzzled for a moment, then shakes her head. "Oh, no. Just 'but'. It's just what I say on the end of things sometimes, a bad habit." Crouching is fast draining the strength from her spindly legs, and the weyrling shuffles a little bit. "I do wish I wasn't so... weak. Just gotta practice, I guess. Right?"
"Right," comes J'lor's easy and confident agreement. "Practice, but without pushing too hard to injure yourself. If you carry too much now, you could sprain a muscle, and that would mean falling behind as it healed. I would much rather start with less weight and work upwards. You'll get there, Lili. Never fear." The bluerider glances first to the right, then to the left, before he leans in to whisper, "Do you know, when I was a weyrling, I always came in last when we ran laps?"
She nods again, the gesture uncharacteristically replacing words; this time, it's 'Aha, good point.' Lili's ponytail flicks as she mimics J'lor's side-to-side glance, and pricks an ear to learn his secret. Her dark blue eyes widen, and her mouth forms a small 'o'. Disbelieving, she studies the Weyrlingmaster for a long moment. "You're just saying that!"
J'lor shakes his head, one hand lifting, palm up. "I swear it. I was one of the youngest. I'd never done much physical work. I went to bed every night with knees made of mush and nightmares that Vellath would up and pick somebody else." J'lor keeps his voice soft and confidential. "I thought I was doomed."
"Huuuuuh." Lili's smile is growing, for one comment especially. "Jelly-arms and -legs!" She exclaims softly, at their second point of commonality. Her shoulders hunch, and she glances around again to make sure there're no big ears around. "And lookit you and Vellath now, hey? Did you have to run with lighter sacks?"
"I didn't want to. I didn't want any of the others thinking I was any less than they were. But," A faint and knowing smile flashes across the bluerider's lips, "the Weyrlingmaster pulled me aside and chewed my ear off about overtaxing and pushing more than I could do and if I ever wanted to catch up with the others, I'd better get myself in line and stop with this so-tough nonsense." J'lor clears his throat. "Except he didn't say nonsense. And then he told me...and this really had me thinking...that it was more important to learn in a way that suited me, rather than a way that suited the others. Because that was the only way I'd know as much as I could. And...it worked. After about eight sevens, I was keeping up with the others and by the time we were catching bags of firestone, I was better than many of them."
Lili shifts again, her free hand massaging one of her thighs gently. It moves lightning-quick to cover her mouth as J'lor implies his Weyrlingmaster's swearing, and she listens to the next of his advice more keenly. She's quiet for another long moment, then starts to nod - just a small gesture at first, though increasing to a more decisive movement. "Proof is in the pudding then, innit?" She determines, her smile forthcoming once more. "I reckon I'll try the lighter sacks, and the exercises, then. That'll suit me better." Nod, nod.
"I think it will, at that," J'lor agrees. If he finds any of Lili's antics amusing he does a fine job of hiding it behind a solemn mien and warm, brown eyes. "We'll go over those exercises tomorrow afternoon. I want you to go through your sacks, after lunch, and unload them so they're heavy enough that they tire your arms, but only after holding them up for a minute or two, all right? We'll start there and in a seven, talk about adding more. I also want you to take a few stones, wrap them up in a bit of rabbit hide, and tie them to your ankles when you're walking about. Again," up go those hands, "just enough so it's a bit of an inconvenience, but no more than that. Does all of that sound all right, Lili?"
Lili's grin is resolute, now, and she keeps on nodding. "I can do that, that sounds good. Hey, thanks, mister J'lor." Rather than bubbly, her tone here is sincere and resolved.
"Of course, Lili," J'lor blinks slowly. Had she expected anything less? "It's no easy task, to be a dragonrider. It will get harder yet, but I'm here, and your clutchmates, and the other riders. We're going to help you learn, hmm? You're not alone, and if you're struggling, we'll help you along. Emieth wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't up for the challenge."
Lili can't stay down any longer, and in fact has to reach forward and push up off the ground with her arms to bring herself up to standing again. She drywashes her hand on her tunic, and tilts her head to one side thoughtfully. "I reckon you're right. I'm up for the challenge. Also thanks for lettin' me interrupt your lunch. D'you need a hand up?"
"I might," J'lor muses wryly. But he gathers up his bowl and pushes himself upwards with a soft groan and some joints somewhere popping furiously. "There we go. I'm getting older, Lili. Don't tell."
Time: Lunch on Day 2, Month 12, Turn 2
Players: J'lor and Lili
Scene: Lili's having a hard time and J'lor confides a secret.
On a Western Island, Deep in the Forest
It's a pleasant island, made moreso by the work of many hands. Stone cliffs on the leeward side make a home for dragons, a large cavern at the base home to the rest in all but the worst rain season. Tropical forest covers most of the island, though there is a small plot of land near the cliffs for cultivated crops and beasts, and the exiles have even added a small dock for the small fishing boats made from the wood of the native trees.
The smoke of fires for cooking, heating water from the freshwater stream that bubbles through the center of the camp, and even the occasional resmithing of old metal traces a hazy line above the island.
The wet season is marked by heavy grey and black clouds that hang perpetually in the sky. Some days, the covering is so thick that even midday feels like evening. The rains vary from a steady fall to a heavy relentless pounding, occasionally stopping completely for ten or fifteen minutes.
Of slightly less than average height, and a slim build, Lili doesn't stand out in a crowd; her straight blond hair is mostly kept neatly brushed and tied back, and bluntly chopped at her shoulders - thin layers around her face sometimes stray into her dark blue eyes. She's not curvaceous at all, and in fact, at first glance one might put her age at around twelve turns. The only clue to her /real/ number is the definition contained in her face, highset cheekbones aren't filled with the chubbiness that such youth generally brings.
Her clothing is appropriate for her status. A short tunic, decidedly worn-looking, combines with patched trousers to form a set of 'working' clothes. Her shoes, tough-looking boots, are rather scuffed and worn, but still funtional.
Dark brown hair has been gathered back into a queue that falls from the nape of this man's neck to the base of his shoulders. His face is angular, a widow's peak adding to the edges of his features. His eyes are almond-shaped and wideset, an unremarkable carob-brown beneath dark slashes of brows. A spinner's web of tiny lines have begun to fan out from the corners of his eyes. Nose is small but sharp and his mouth is thin. While clean-shaven seems to be the general intent, the man's jawline is often darkened by forgotten-about stubble. Perhaps the most endearing and unexpected feature, a deep dimple flashes in his left cheek when he smiles. Weather and time have deepened his skin into a warm tan.
Tall and lean at 6'4", the man is clothed in a shirt of rough linen dyed a deep wine red. Stitches along the shoulder are too large and the right side sports a patch of cloth that unsuccessfully attempts to mimic the same shade as the rest of the shirt. Sleeves have been rolled up to the elbows and long arms are corded not with bulk but with wiry strength. Legs have been tucked into brown trousers, more properly made and of wherry hide, and shoes are formed from the same material though colored a little darker.
The man looks to be somewhere between forty and fifty turns.
--
Most people are eating lunch, or doing what chores they can under the protection of shelter. She's not. She's looking about, looking about, taking advantage of another convenient lull in the rain to wander in search of... "Mister J'lor?" Across the clearing, she picks a figure that may or may not be the bluerider in question. Lili starts that way, hugging something suspiciously rabbitskin-shaped to her chest.
The bluerider stands in the entry to the main cavern that people gather in during poor weather or during threadfall. He hold a bowl and spoon carved from wood and eats what is most likely some sort of fish stew. The motions are methodical, the man's gaze is distant, his thoughts wandering somewhere beyond his body. It is J'lor's name that snaps him out of his musings and the rider straightens as a small, towheaded figure makes her way over. "Yes, Lili? What is it?"
Lili's relieved; she's already mistaken two other men for her Weyrlingmaster, and spent a great number of minutes apologising to both. "Nothin' important, if you're eating?" Her blue eyes widen as they drop down to the bowl, both to peek at what's on the menu for lunch and to indicate her willingness to wait for a more proper time to interrupt.
The bluerider's smile is slow and warm. "I have few skills to boast of, but I believe eating and listening all at the same time is one of them." J'lor lowers himself into a crouch so he might peer up and Lili might peer down, for once. "Tell me, my dear."
Lili beams a grin at that, again relieved. She misinterprets his crouch, however, and drops down after him, resting her elbows on her knees for balance. "Hey, thanks. Well, um, I first wanted to show you my stitches - see, they're better here, and here? D'rian helped me this morning, and gave me his needle to practice with. Coz it's straighter than mine." On the skin she holds out, there are indeed two rows out of five that include neat, mostly straight, mostly uniform stitches.
The bowl is set down and the rabbit skin gentle taken. "D'rian did that, hmm?" he asks softly as J'lor's dark eyes study the newer work. "These are much improved, Lili. Excellent job." He looks back up, holding out the rabbit hide to return it to her.
"He even smiled, once," the girl notes proudly, rolling her shoulders back a little as she takes her skin back. "I've tried to be less annoying to him, so I reckon it's working. Because he offered to help, I didn't ask him. But I did say thank you. Twice." She's looking down now, admiring her - and D'rian's - work. "There's one other thing, too..."
"You must be patient with D'rian," J'lor notes gently. "He's learning many things. Don't give up on him, yet." His head cants to the side, brows tipping downward. "What else?"
Matter-of-factly she agrees, "He's pretty nice, when he's not busy being mini-M'uri." But Lili isn't here to discuss D'rian, evidenced by her quick shift to her next question. "Anyway." She huffs a short sigh. "Um. I kinda noticed I'm... not as strong as most of the other weyrlings, or as fast. Actually, Em noticed it. And I know it'll come with practice, or whatever, but do you reckon there's anything... maybe extra, that I can do? To get, like, up to speed?"
There is a long moment of pondering as J'lor perhaps considers this or perhaps simply studies Lili's frame to assess her up-to-speeding capabilities. "I can show you some exercises that you can practice. I notice it's the lifting mostly, I think, that's your biggest trouble. You're going to need to build your upper body strength somewhat."
Lili's eyebrows settle high during the pause, and she straightens her back a bit to help with the assessment, if needed. She nods. "More exercises, that'd help. I don't mind doing stuff in my free time, or lunchtime, if I have to. I just hate being behind everyone, you know?"
"No one's getting left behind, Lili. You're all starting in different places and it's my task to bring everyone from all those places to the same place. Metaphorically speaking. So. I don't want you training over lunch. You'll need the food and some time to rest in the middle of the day. But we'll go over some lifting exercises and for now, until you're a bit stronger, we'll lighten the bags you carry during the daily run." A small smile from the bluerider. "Just until you're ready for more."
Lili looks almost disappointed at that response, her shoulders and eyebrows sagging. "Oh. I can still carry the heavy bags, but. Honest, I can! It just makes me a bit slower than everyone. But that's ok. Extra lifting exercises would be good, but."
"But?" J'lor presses, his head cants in the other direction. "Is something else distressing you, Lili?"
Lili looks puzzled for a moment, then shakes her head. "Oh, no. Just 'but'. It's just what I say on the end of things sometimes, a bad habit." Crouching is fast draining the strength from her spindly legs, and the weyrling shuffles a little bit. "I do wish I wasn't so... weak. Just gotta practice, I guess. Right?"
"Right," comes J'lor's easy and confident agreement. "Practice, but without pushing too hard to injure yourself. If you carry too much now, you could sprain a muscle, and that would mean falling behind as it healed. I would much rather start with less weight and work upwards. You'll get there, Lili. Never fear." The bluerider glances first to the right, then to the left, before he leans in to whisper, "Do you know, when I was a weyrling, I always came in last when we ran laps?"
She nods again, the gesture uncharacteristically replacing words; this time, it's 'Aha, good point.' Lili's ponytail flicks as she mimics J'lor's side-to-side glance, and pricks an ear to learn his secret. Her dark blue eyes widen, and her mouth forms a small 'o'. Disbelieving, she studies the Weyrlingmaster for a long moment. "You're just saying that!"
J'lor shakes his head, one hand lifting, palm up. "I swear it. I was one of the youngest. I'd never done much physical work. I went to bed every night with knees made of mush and nightmares that Vellath would up and pick somebody else." J'lor keeps his voice soft and confidential. "I thought I was doomed."
"Huuuuuh." Lili's smile is growing, for one comment especially. "Jelly-arms and -legs!" She exclaims softly, at their second point of commonality. Her shoulders hunch, and she glances around again to make sure there're no big ears around. "And lookit you and Vellath now, hey? Did you have to run with lighter sacks?"
"I didn't want to. I didn't want any of the others thinking I was any less than they were. But," A faint and knowing smile flashes across the bluerider's lips, "the Weyrlingmaster pulled me aside and chewed my ear off about overtaxing and pushing more than I could do and if I ever wanted to catch up with the others, I'd better get myself in line and stop with this so-tough nonsense." J'lor clears his throat. "Except he didn't say nonsense. And then he told me...and this really had me thinking...that it was more important to learn in a way that suited me, rather than a way that suited the others. Because that was the only way I'd know as much as I could. And...it worked. After about eight sevens, I was keeping up with the others and by the time we were catching bags of firestone, I was better than many of them."
Lili shifts again, her free hand massaging one of her thighs gently. It moves lightning-quick to cover her mouth as J'lor implies his Weyrlingmaster's swearing, and she listens to the next of his advice more keenly. She's quiet for another long moment, then starts to nod - just a small gesture at first, though increasing to a more decisive movement. "Proof is in the pudding then, innit?" She determines, her smile forthcoming once more. "I reckon I'll try the lighter sacks, and the exercises, then. That'll suit me better." Nod, nod.
"I think it will, at that," J'lor agrees. If he finds any of Lili's antics amusing he does a fine job of hiding it behind a solemn mien and warm, brown eyes. "We'll go over those exercises tomorrow afternoon. I want you to go through your sacks, after lunch, and unload them so they're heavy enough that they tire your arms, but only after holding them up for a minute or two, all right? We'll start there and in a seven, talk about adding more. I also want you to take a few stones, wrap them up in a bit of rabbit hide, and tie them to your ankles when you're walking about. Again," up go those hands, "just enough so it's a bit of an inconvenience, but no more than that. Does all of that sound all right, Lili?"
Lili's grin is resolute, now, and she keeps on nodding. "I can do that, that sounds good. Hey, thanks, mister J'lor." Rather than bubbly, her tone here is sincere and resolved.
"Of course, Lili," J'lor blinks slowly. Had she expected anything less? "It's no easy task, to be a dragonrider. It will get harder yet, but I'm here, and your clutchmates, and the other riders. We're going to help you learn, hmm? You're not alone, and if you're struggling, we'll help you along. Emieth wouldn't have chosen you if you weren't up for the challenge."
Lili can't stay down any longer, and in fact has to reach forward and push up off the ground with her arms to bring herself up to standing again. She drywashes her hand on her tunic, and tilts her head to one side thoughtfully. "I reckon you're right. I'm up for the challenge. Also thanks for lettin' me interrupt your lunch. D'you need a hand up?"
"I might," J'lor muses wryly. But he gathers up his bowl and pushes himself upwards with a soft groan and some joints somewhere popping furiously. "There we go. I'm getting older, Lili. Don't tell."