Just Set Limits
IC Date: Day 20, Month 7, Turn 2, 7th Pass
Players: Vimala, Vanya
Location: Baths
Synopsis: A quick dash to the baths before Vanya goes on shift in the Infirmary. Present it Vimala, a Caucus student new to the weyr. A quiet chat and a few prudent warnings about pitfalls and politics. It's all about setting limits.
Baths,
Early Morning
The bathing cavern is divided into a number of large pools, each spacious enough for ten to fifteen people. There is one cold-water pool with the remainder being given over to water warm enough to fill the air with swirling clouds of steam. Each pool has been tiled in blue and white and boasts benches along the sides to allow people to sit and soak. Alcoves in the walls have been hollowed out to provide places to store clean, dry towels and various other bathing paraphernalia.
The corners of the room have been decorated with potted ferns, brought here from Ista Island. They are pampered and fussed over by the staff who keep the baths clean and stocked. The plants provide a cheerful splash of color in an otherwise pale and steamy cavern.
Vimala is just sitting, relaxing in one of the warm pools, getting used to taking baths in the public baths after having spent her whole life bathing in the private bath of the suite of rooms she lived in with her mother at the hold. She's seated on one of the benches, her head tilted back against the side of the pool, her eyes half-closed as she relaxes in the quiet of the early morning.
Vanya enters the baths with a bundle of clean clothes, a basket of bottles and a slightly sweaty look about her. Well, actually, a /very/ sweaty look about herself, and it's rather obvious she's been doing something a bit strenuous. Her hair is mussed, strands plastered to her forehead and cheeks, braid coming apart. She looks a little rushed, perhaps having need of a bath, and not much time to grab it. Fortunately, there seems to be only one other person in the baths at the moment, female, which brings a look of relief to her face. "Morning," she calls through the steamy mist, almost immediately finding a safe, dry place for her clothes, and stripping out of her shirt, trousers and boots, with socks and underwear following close behind. "I do beg your pardon, miss, but I don't have time to be modest today," she offers as apology, grabbing her basket and picking the closest pool to her, which happens to have the bath's only occupant.
Vimala's eyes open all the way at the sounds that let her know she's no longer alone. She slips a little more deeply under the water, sinking fully in up to her chin, though she is rather grateful that it's another female coming in, and not a male. "Morning to you as well. I didn't think I'd see anyone else here at this hour." she offers a small smile. "Don't worry too much about modesty. I'm going to have to get used to people coming and going from these baths soon, or spend my whole time here bathing at very odd hours."
Vanya pauses to let the warm water slowly work it's magic on muscles not used to the kind of exercise she's decided to take up in the predawn hours every day she can manage. "Well, it does take some getting used to," she agrees. "I spent the first weeks here sneaking around to bathe in the middle of the night," she confesses.
"Then I realized that was being silly. It's only a body, and as a healer, I've seen much worse." She finds a spot, grabs a bottle from her basket and a cloth, and soon has a pleasant smelling lather going. "I'm Vanya, by the way," she offers. "Journeyman Healer, and I'm a bit rushed, so please don't think I'm rude. I have to be at the Infirmary in only slightly more than 30 minutes."
Vimala laughs softly. "That's what I've been doing. I'm not a healer, so I don't have that kind of experience you do. Well met, Vanya, and no worries, I don't think you're rude at all. I'm Vimala, a student at the Caucus. I'm studying to take up assistant headwoman duties, with an eye towards taking over from my mother as full Headwoman at High Reaches Hold some day."
Vanya is busily scrubbing sweat and dust from her uppser torso, at this point, more or less angled away from Vimala, giving them both a bit of privacy. "Very nice to meet you," she says, then chuckles. "Please forgive no offer of a handshake," she says, glancing at her soapy appendages. "I'll catch that when we meet another time." The offered introduction and reason for attending Caucus explains a lot, confirming earlier comments that made Vanya suspicion her home. "It was kind of like this at home, but with my cousins. Only time I had the luxury of bathing alone was when they didn't like me or something. Otherwise, I was a bathtime servant for them." She shrugs. "Both girls, thank Faranth." She laughs now, but there's an undercurrent. "I'm from Ruatha, originally. Niece of the Lord Holder, and generally, companion for his two daughters."
Vimala shakes her head, grinning. "That's quite alright. There's certainly no need to stand on the formality of a handshake in the baths." she hmms softly to herself in thought for a moment. "I don't think I would have put up with being a bathtime servant for my cousins. They're far too much to put up with usually, let alone to wait on them in the baths! It would just make them worse. Have you been here at the Weyr long?"
"Well, sometimes a person has to put up with a lot of unpleasant things when they don't have a choice," Vanya replies. "The circumstances weren't favorable for me to not be at their beck and call, and it did have it's good moments." She gives a shrug as she ducks below the water to rinse off. "I wasn't terribly unhappy /all/ the time, and I got the benefit of a good education, something not everyone gets. Uncle wasn't always pompous or mean. Sometimes he'd even take me with the girls visiting and I'd get to sit with them." She rises, and quickly unbraids her hair. "And, eventually, I did get to do what I wanted to. So, a negative was balanced with a positive, and it all worked out." Hair loosened, she ducks and another bottle is brought out, and she scrubs at her scalp. "How do you like Caucus?"
Vimala nods slowly. "Well I guess that's true. It's good to know that not everything was unpleasant for you. Hopefully your cousins were nicer than your Uncle at least more often than not?" she shrugs, slowly sitting up a little bit more again. She's already finished washing and was just soaking anyhow, so she's not worried about getting herself clean anymore. "It's alright here. I'm still getting lost far too easily it seems, but other than that it's alright. I haven't met too many people yet. I've been kind of keeping to myself a bit though, trying to get used to the Weyr."
"It's confusing, at first, but after a while, it takes on a certain natural flow. Rather like a hold is laid out, if you compare the two," Vanya offers. "Think of the bowl as the courtyard, the living cavern the great hall. Then, the kitchens, and all are behind, the weyr residence to one side, utilitarian areas opposite." She pauses, rinses. "Ruatha and Fort are much like that. I'm not all that familiar with Caucus areas, not much call to be there often enough. I'm posted to the weyr, but I've been thinking of asking to attend a couple of classes in diplomacy, thinks like that. Tact is useful for a healer sometimes." My, she's chatty this morning. "And, not everyone at the weyr will let you stick to yourself. I found that out the hard way." No particular inflection on the words. "Just remember to take things the riders say -- especially the bronzeriders -- with a couple of grains of rocksalt." She laughs then, obviously amused by something. "They can /all/ be persistent at times."
Vimala laughs softly. "You're the first person I've met to tell me that. I've been recommended twice to go to the Records Room to make a copy of a map of this place for myself." she smiles. "Attending diplomacy classes might not be a bad idea. They can be slightly dull sometimes, but usually it's not too bad. I'll keep that in mind about the riders. It's always helpful to know who to take at face value, and who to watch for." she adds with a grin.
Something sort of shifts in Vanya's stance. "Well, taking people at face value isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes," she says, voice a little hesitant. "It's a good theory, and sounds like it's a solid idea, but it can also be a trap that can snap shut and catch you off guard." Now /that/ sounds like the voice of experience talking. "I haven't been here all that long, but I've learned things here can be amazingly simple or extremely complex, nothing really in between." She pauses to rinse again, then grabs for another bottle. "There are a lot of people here, just like in a hall. Some good, some bad, and sometimes those you think are the good guys, turn out to be not so good. And, sadly, vice versa. Don't fall into that trap, Vimala. Take a fool's advice, and watch things. Be very sure of yourself before you make decisions, and if you have doubts, listen to your instincts. If you're a Headwoman's daughter, you've likely seen exactly what I'm talking about. Just remember to watch and listen carefully. Weigh things well before you act, and never jump to a conclusion." Vanya grins over her shoulder at the girl. "You'll find out soon enough who you can and cannot trust." And underwater she goes again.
Vimala looks rather surprised at the seeming flood of advice, and she also goes under the water for a moment, perhaps as an excuse to try to organize her thoughts before she says anything again. When she comes back up, she shakes her head, her hands coming up to wipe her hair away from her face, and clearing her face also of excess water. "I do believe that I have seen what you're talking about. I guess I just never really thought to have to put my own views on it to the test so soon. Though if you're right, and there are some who aren't going to let me try to stick to myself and my studies, I suppose I will. Sure, it might be nice to get away from my studies and my cubicle every now and again, but I will be watchful." A polite, yet vague response, good for diplomacy issues when not wanting to tread on possible dangerous ground. Her diplomacy teacher might be proud.
Vanya must agree with the vagueness, because she nods. "I'm sorry, I do run off at the mouth, but politics can be interesting to watch, not so interesting to be caught up in unawares. That's the trap," the healer says, still smiling. "As I said, there are a lot of people here you /can/ take a face value, but remember the Caucus teaches politics for the future leaders of Pern. And politics are subtle. You can get involved before you realize it, and by then --" A shrug as she wrings out her hair. "-- sometimes it's too late." Eyes shift, look up as she winds her wet hair atop her head. "Otherwise, the weyr is filled with people who are interesting and very much worth knowing. Wingleader Br'ce, Wingsecond D'ven, for two. They're good riders, and though D'ven's a horrible flirt, he's mostly teasing. Most of the riders are big flirts and tease unmercifully, but there are only a few I've heard you have to watch out for. Fortunately, I've only run into one, and it's easy to avoid him now." Another quick duck and she's climbing out.
Vimala's lips twitch with an amused grin she doesn't quite hide. "Br'ce I have met. He did seem alright. Politics I really do try to stay out of, outside of class. I mean, I learn about them, and try to stay watching on the sidelines, but I do try to stay out of them. At least for now. It's not like anything I said could have much weight in a conversation anyway. I guess the only thing I'll have to watch out for is the teasing from the riders. I have this terrible tendency to blush at just about anything, and that always seemed to just make the boys worse at the Hold. I'm sure it will be no different here."
"Oh, Faranth, how I can relate to /that/, Vimala," the healer says, grabbing two towels. One she wraps around her hair, turban-style, the other is used to dry herself off. "D'ven's the rider who delivered me here from Healer Hall, and some of our early conversations!" she laughs and shakes her head. "I look back on them and cringe! I was so naive he could have had a field day with me, had he been inclined, but ..." And she pauses to dry dry her legs. "He was very good and didn't take advantage of my complete lack of comprehension for some phrases I used. It's funny now, but I still have to blush now and then. You'll get teased for blushing, rest assured of that. I still do." Dried off, clean underthings are donned. "As for Br'ce, he's a bit different. He's weyrmated, and a little more settled. A good man, dedicated to his riders, and I'd say a person to take at face value. I greatly admire his attitude about many things.
D'ven, as well. Most of the riders are dedicated to their work. D'ven says that's why they play hard, as well. But, set the limits and most won't go beyond."
Vimala laughs softly. "Oh my. I might have to watch out for D'ven. He sounds like quite the teaser, though I'm glad he doesn't seem to take advantage. That just means I won't have to watch too closely with him." she averts her eyes as the other starts to get dressed, though really the fog in the baths does help to conceal a lot. "Thank you for the chat. This early morning bath seems to have given me much to think on, more than I thought I would get just from having a simple bath."
Vanya slips on her dress, sits down and dries her feet. There's a moment or two of quiet and then she lifts her head. "Vimala, I'm ... well, I didn't mean to go on and on, or make you uncomfortable in any way. You sound a lot like I was not so long ago, and the weyr can be a very dangerous place for the unwary. Listen, yes, but realize I've made my mistakes. I said and did things that weren't very smart, and I'm paying the price for being foolish so many, many times and ways." The towel on her head comes down. "I got caught up in something I didn't know I was caught in. I'm not a stupid woman, and I don't think you are either. Just set limits, watch and learn from what you hear. I was warned, but didn't heed it. Don't you do the same."
Vimala smiles, shaking her head slightly. "don't worry, Vanya. You didn't make me uncomfortable. You just gave me a lot to think on, and that's a good thing. It will make me really think on things, so that I don't make the mistakes you did. I'll heed any warnings I can get. I know I could be an easy mark for someone if I don't watch my step and pay attention."
"Yes, you could, I won't lie to you. But Br'ce, D'ven ... they're the good guys," Vanya says, smiling. And then shoes on, hair drying, she rises and heads out. "Clear skies, Vimala, I'm sure we'll meet again." Gone. Poof!
Players: Vimala, Vanya
Location: Baths
Synopsis: A quick dash to the baths before Vanya goes on shift in the Infirmary. Present it Vimala, a Caucus student new to the weyr. A quiet chat and a few prudent warnings about pitfalls and politics. It's all about setting limits.
Baths,
Early Morning
The bathing cavern is divided into a number of large pools, each spacious enough for ten to fifteen people. There is one cold-water pool with the remainder being given over to water warm enough to fill the air with swirling clouds of steam. Each pool has been tiled in blue and white and boasts benches along the sides to allow people to sit and soak. Alcoves in the walls have been hollowed out to provide places to store clean, dry towels and various other bathing paraphernalia.
The corners of the room have been decorated with potted ferns, brought here from Ista Island. They are pampered and fussed over by the staff who keep the baths clean and stocked. The plants provide a cheerful splash of color in an otherwise pale and steamy cavern.
Vimala is just sitting, relaxing in one of the warm pools, getting used to taking baths in the public baths after having spent her whole life bathing in the private bath of the suite of rooms she lived in with her mother at the hold. She's seated on one of the benches, her head tilted back against the side of the pool, her eyes half-closed as she relaxes in the quiet of the early morning.
Vanya enters the baths with a bundle of clean clothes, a basket of bottles and a slightly sweaty look about her. Well, actually, a /very/ sweaty look about herself, and it's rather obvious she's been doing something a bit strenuous. Her hair is mussed, strands plastered to her forehead and cheeks, braid coming apart. She looks a little rushed, perhaps having need of a bath, and not much time to grab it. Fortunately, there seems to be only one other person in the baths at the moment, female, which brings a look of relief to her face. "Morning," she calls through the steamy mist, almost immediately finding a safe, dry place for her clothes, and stripping out of her shirt, trousers and boots, with socks and underwear following close behind. "I do beg your pardon, miss, but I don't have time to be modest today," she offers as apology, grabbing her basket and picking the closest pool to her, which happens to have the bath's only occupant.
Vimala's eyes open all the way at the sounds that let her know she's no longer alone. She slips a little more deeply under the water, sinking fully in up to her chin, though she is rather grateful that it's another female coming in, and not a male. "Morning to you as well. I didn't think I'd see anyone else here at this hour." she offers a small smile. "Don't worry too much about modesty. I'm going to have to get used to people coming and going from these baths soon, or spend my whole time here bathing at very odd hours."
Vanya pauses to let the warm water slowly work it's magic on muscles not used to the kind of exercise she's decided to take up in the predawn hours every day she can manage. "Well, it does take some getting used to," she agrees. "I spent the first weeks here sneaking around to bathe in the middle of the night," she confesses.
"Then I realized that was being silly. It's only a body, and as a healer, I've seen much worse." She finds a spot, grabs a bottle from her basket and a cloth, and soon has a pleasant smelling lather going. "I'm Vanya, by the way," she offers. "Journeyman Healer, and I'm a bit rushed, so please don't think I'm rude. I have to be at the Infirmary in only slightly more than 30 minutes."
Vimala laughs softly. "That's what I've been doing. I'm not a healer, so I don't have that kind of experience you do. Well met, Vanya, and no worries, I don't think you're rude at all. I'm Vimala, a student at the Caucus. I'm studying to take up assistant headwoman duties, with an eye towards taking over from my mother as full Headwoman at High Reaches Hold some day."
Vanya is busily scrubbing sweat and dust from her uppser torso, at this point, more or less angled away from Vimala, giving them both a bit of privacy. "Very nice to meet you," she says, then chuckles. "Please forgive no offer of a handshake," she says, glancing at her soapy appendages. "I'll catch that when we meet another time." The offered introduction and reason for attending Caucus explains a lot, confirming earlier comments that made Vanya suspicion her home. "It was kind of like this at home, but with my cousins. Only time I had the luxury of bathing alone was when they didn't like me or something. Otherwise, I was a bathtime servant for them." She shrugs. "Both girls, thank Faranth." She laughs now, but there's an undercurrent. "I'm from Ruatha, originally. Niece of the Lord Holder, and generally, companion for his two daughters."
Vimala shakes her head, grinning. "That's quite alright. There's certainly no need to stand on the formality of a handshake in the baths." she hmms softly to herself in thought for a moment. "I don't think I would have put up with being a bathtime servant for my cousins. They're far too much to put up with usually, let alone to wait on them in the baths! It would just make them worse. Have you been here at the Weyr long?"
"Well, sometimes a person has to put up with a lot of unpleasant things when they don't have a choice," Vanya replies. "The circumstances weren't favorable for me to not be at their beck and call, and it did have it's good moments." She gives a shrug as she ducks below the water to rinse off. "I wasn't terribly unhappy /all/ the time, and I got the benefit of a good education, something not everyone gets. Uncle wasn't always pompous or mean. Sometimes he'd even take me with the girls visiting and I'd get to sit with them." She rises, and quickly unbraids her hair. "And, eventually, I did get to do what I wanted to. So, a negative was balanced with a positive, and it all worked out." Hair loosened, she ducks and another bottle is brought out, and she scrubs at her scalp. "How do you like Caucus?"
Vimala nods slowly. "Well I guess that's true. It's good to know that not everything was unpleasant for you. Hopefully your cousins were nicer than your Uncle at least more often than not?" she shrugs, slowly sitting up a little bit more again. She's already finished washing and was just soaking anyhow, so she's not worried about getting herself clean anymore. "It's alright here. I'm still getting lost far too easily it seems, but other than that it's alright. I haven't met too many people yet. I've been kind of keeping to myself a bit though, trying to get used to the Weyr."
"It's confusing, at first, but after a while, it takes on a certain natural flow. Rather like a hold is laid out, if you compare the two," Vanya offers. "Think of the bowl as the courtyard, the living cavern the great hall. Then, the kitchens, and all are behind, the weyr residence to one side, utilitarian areas opposite." She pauses, rinses. "Ruatha and Fort are much like that. I'm not all that familiar with Caucus areas, not much call to be there often enough. I'm posted to the weyr, but I've been thinking of asking to attend a couple of classes in diplomacy, thinks like that. Tact is useful for a healer sometimes." My, she's chatty this morning. "And, not everyone at the weyr will let you stick to yourself. I found that out the hard way." No particular inflection on the words. "Just remember to take things the riders say -- especially the bronzeriders -- with a couple of grains of rocksalt." She laughs then, obviously amused by something. "They can /all/ be persistent at times."
Vimala laughs softly. "You're the first person I've met to tell me that. I've been recommended twice to go to the Records Room to make a copy of a map of this place for myself." she smiles. "Attending diplomacy classes might not be a bad idea. They can be slightly dull sometimes, but usually it's not too bad. I'll keep that in mind about the riders. It's always helpful to know who to take at face value, and who to watch for." she adds with a grin.
Something sort of shifts in Vanya's stance. "Well, taking people at face value isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes," she says, voice a little hesitant. "It's a good theory, and sounds like it's a solid idea, but it can also be a trap that can snap shut and catch you off guard." Now /that/ sounds like the voice of experience talking. "I haven't been here all that long, but I've learned things here can be amazingly simple or extremely complex, nothing really in between." She pauses to rinse again, then grabs for another bottle. "There are a lot of people here, just like in a hall. Some good, some bad, and sometimes those you think are the good guys, turn out to be not so good. And, sadly, vice versa. Don't fall into that trap, Vimala. Take a fool's advice, and watch things. Be very sure of yourself before you make decisions, and if you have doubts, listen to your instincts. If you're a Headwoman's daughter, you've likely seen exactly what I'm talking about. Just remember to watch and listen carefully. Weigh things well before you act, and never jump to a conclusion." Vanya grins over her shoulder at the girl. "You'll find out soon enough who you can and cannot trust." And underwater she goes again.
Vimala looks rather surprised at the seeming flood of advice, and she also goes under the water for a moment, perhaps as an excuse to try to organize her thoughts before she says anything again. When she comes back up, she shakes her head, her hands coming up to wipe her hair away from her face, and clearing her face also of excess water. "I do believe that I have seen what you're talking about. I guess I just never really thought to have to put my own views on it to the test so soon. Though if you're right, and there are some who aren't going to let me try to stick to myself and my studies, I suppose I will. Sure, it might be nice to get away from my studies and my cubicle every now and again, but I will be watchful." A polite, yet vague response, good for diplomacy issues when not wanting to tread on possible dangerous ground. Her diplomacy teacher might be proud.
Vanya must agree with the vagueness, because she nods. "I'm sorry, I do run off at the mouth, but politics can be interesting to watch, not so interesting to be caught up in unawares. That's the trap," the healer says, still smiling. "As I said, there are a lot of people here you /can/ take a face value, but remember the Caucus teaches politics for the future leaders of Pern. And politics are subtle. You can get involved before you realize it, and by then --" A shrug as she wrings out her hair. "-- sometimes it's too late." Eyes shift, look up as she winds her wet hair atop her head. "Otherwise, the weyr is filled with people who are interesting and very much worth knowing. Wingleader Br'ce, Wingsecond D'ven, for two. They're good riders, and though D'ven's a horrible flirt, he's mostly teasing. Most of the riders are big flirts and tease unmercifully, but there are only a few I've heard you have to watch out for. Fortunately, I've only run into one, and it's easy to avoid him now." Another quick duck and she's climbing out.
Vimala's lips twitch with an amused grin she doesn't quite hide. "Br'ce I have met. He did seem alright. Politics I really do try to stay out of, outside of class. I mean, I learn about them, and try to stay watching on the sidelines, but I do try to stay out of them. At least for now. It's not like anything I said could have much weight in a conversation anyway. I guess the only thing I'll have to watch out for is the teasing from the riders. I have this terrible tendency to blush at just about anything, and that always seemed to just make the boys worse at the Hold. I'm sure it will be no different here."
"Oh, Faranth, how I can relate to /that/, Vimala," the healer says, grabbing two towels. One she wraps around her hair, turban-style, the other is used to dry herself off. "D'ven's the rider who delivered me here from Healer Hall, and some of our early conversations!" she laughs and shakes her head. "I look back on them and cringe! I was so naive he could have had a field day with me, had he been inclined, but ..." And she pauses to dry dry her legs. "He was very good and didn't take advantage of my complete lack of comprehension for some phrases I used. It's funny now, but I still have to blush now and then. You'll get teased for blushing, rest assured of that. I still do." Dried off, clean underthings are donned. "As for Br'ce, he's a bit different. He's weyrmated, and a little more settled. A good man, dedicated to his riders, and I'd say a person to take at face value. I greatly admire his attitude about many things.
D'ven, as well. Most of the riders are dedicated to their work. D'ven says that's why they play hard, as well. But, set the limits and most won't go beyond."
Vimala laughs softly. "Oh my. I might have to watch out for D'ven. He sounds like quite the teaser, though I'm glad he doesn't seem to take advantage. That just means I won't have to watch too closely with him." she averts her eyes as the other starts to get dressed, though really the fog in the baths does help to conceal a lot. "Thank you for the chat. This early morning bath seems to have given me much to think on, more than I thought I would get just from having a simple bath."
Vanya slips on her dress, sits down and dries her feet. There's a moment or two of quiet and then she lifts her head. "Vimala, I'm ... well, I didn't mean to go on and on, or make you uncomfortable in any way. You sound a lot like I was not so long ago, and the weyr can be a very dangerous place for the unwary. Listen, yes, but realize I've made my mistakes. I said and did things that weren't very smart, and I'm paying the price for being foolish so many, many times and ways." The towel on her head comes down. "I got caught up in something I didn't know I was caught in. I'm not a stupid woman, and I don't think you are either. Just set limits, watch and learn from what you hear. I was warned, but didn't heed it. Don't you do the same."
Vimala smiles, shaking her head slightly. "don't worry, Vanya. You didn't make me uncomfortable. You just gave me a lot to think on, and that's a good thing. It will make me really think on things, so that I don't make the mistakes you did. I'll heed any warnings I can get. I know I could be an easy mark for someone if I don't watch my step and pay attention."
"Yes, you could, I won't lie to you. But Br'ce, D'ven ... they're the good guys," Vanya says, smiling. And then shoes on, hair drying, she rises and heads out. "Clear skies, Vimala, I'm sure we'll meet again." Gone. Poof!