Log: Firestone Class
Who: Avey, Javeri, P'draig, Balinne, Neraset (NPC), M'ljen (NPC), B'orl (NPC), K'mron (NPC), Tosolla (NPC), Chadamalith, Leisath, Vaylith, Tyalith
When: day 6, month 9, turn 18 of Interval 10. (RL Date: 1/5/09)
Where: Bowl, Ista Weyr
What: Paddy gives a group of weyrlings a little introduction to firestone.
Late afternoon sees the Weyr cooling down a little from the heat of the day and P'draig has set up with a small group of Weyrlings on one end of the Bowl where it's shady. There's little piles of firestone stacked in front of him and he sits on the ground, encouraging the others to do the same. "Okay guys, we're going to learn a little bit about firestone today and play a game that could wind up in a special treat for the winners. Why don't we start by you guys telling me what you know about firestone and how it works for flaming?"
Avey sits down next to Leisath, reaching out to rub the dragon's eyeridge in a distracted fashion. But at P'draig's question, her attention snaps to the lesson and she all but bounces in her eagerness to answer. Her hand shoots up. "I know!" she declares.
And, unusual for her, Javeri is late. Oh, Chadamalith was quite interested and has been sitting there as long as the others, but it's just when Avey's hand goes up that Javeri comes along limping from the infirmary. The limp is not as noticeable as she slows down to a walk from her attempt at running to not be too late. Alas it did not work and she just tries to get over to Chadamalith without disrupting things.
P'draig looks the group over expectantly, grins as other hands than Avey's go up too, but it's hers he picks out of the throng, though he pauses as he catchess sight of Javeri and that limp. A little frown wrinkles his brows, but he gestures to her without comment and nods Avey's way. "Go ahead Avey."
Dragon> To Chadamalith, Jekzith nudges gently blue-green towards the serene blue. << P'draig says that yours should have a seat and not worry, though he'd like to know what happened. >>
"Okay, so for dragons? Firestone is really spicy!" Avey says, her voice animated, hands gesticulating. "Because it's like when you eat spicy food? and you get gas? and then you burp?
And you know how it burns when that happens? Well with dragons it makes ACTUAL FIRE!" She grins.
Javeri settles down by Chadamalith and listens to what Avey as to say. A few looks around at the other weyrlings to determine there reactions is the only response to it however. She seems to be willing to let someone else speak on the subject. Or maybe she just doesn't have anything to say.
Dragon> Chadamalith responds with more swiftness than normal. Accompanying the swiftness is a flurry of rapid images that ends with Javeri having slipped on a half-eaten piece of fruit on their ledge. The part where it was he who left it there was buried pretty deep in everything else. << She is fine. >> (Chadamalith to Jekzith)
This answer from Avey, makes the corners of Paddy's mouth twitch it does. But he tries, oh tries to keep a straight face. "Ah - well it does make gas and they do belch, but not because the stone is spicy," he says with a little smile for Avey. Neraset, for once, isn't snickering though a few guffaws have peppered the little group. "Anyone else?"
Avey looks disappointed; she'd had it all figured out! "It's not?" she says, and frowns. She glances at Leisath, the two engaging in some private communication that has Avey laughing in a moment, though she smothers it so as not to call attention to herself overmuch.
Chadamalith uses a talon to tap against the ground right by where Javeri happens to be and it earns him a scowl. Clearly she is upset about his involvement in her slipping earlier. Still she raises her hand anyway and says, "Chemicals. In their stomachs. The non-eating ones. And it reacts somehow and makes something that when it hits the air makes flame." Well, it's not that surprising she's probably read on it considering her blue's desire to know everything. It must be a good enough answer as the talon tapping stops and Chadamalith resumes his statue-like ways.
Avey mutters very quietly to the weyrling next to her, "I think my version was more interesting.
Dragon> To Chadamalith, Jekzith watches the flurry go by, passes along the salient bits to P'draig. << Thank you! >> he tells the blue chipperly.
"Okay, yes, that's pretty close," P'draig nods Javeri's way. "It's a chemical reaction. And if you want more specifics on that, ask a miner or a smith," he jokes with a grin around the group. "All right then, so do any of you know how a dragon is supposed to actually chew the stuff and use it to make flame?"
Avey rubs at Leisath's eyeridge affectionately. She does not volunteer to answer this question, but instead waits for someone else to speak up. 'With their teeth' probably wouldn't go over well.
Now that she's answered once Javeri is not about to play teacher's pet and answer again. She looks around as some of the other weyrlings mumble to each other, but even though that might have been a flicker of a blue tail near her she resolves to keep her mouth shut. K'mron raises his hand and says, "With their teeth." He follows that with a wink to a girl nearby. Isn't he studly?
Avey puts a hand to her face to hide her amusement. Hey, at least it wasn't her.
Neraset's had enough and rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, even /I/ know this one. Haven't you talked to enough riders?" She makes big eyes at K'mron. "Duh. They chew it and think about their second stomachs," she says proudly and flips her hair back, smiling sunnily at Paddy. THe brownrider clears his throat, perhaps trying not to laugh again. "That's right Neraset. Second stomachs. And after they've flamed they puke up the ash. It's messy and stinks to high heaven, but at least we don't fly Fall anymore so you don't have to deal with it as often as riders in a Pass would." He stretches out his legs and leans back on his hands. "Okay. So next up, let's talk about the actual firestone. I want you all to take a look at these different piles in front of me and tell me what the differences are between them and what you think those differences might mean." One pile has smaller stones and the stuff seems to be uneven in color, another is larger stones and more even, the last, about the same size but the color is completely even.
Avey scoots forward to get a better look, and immediately points to the last pile with the even-colored stones. "That stuff looks best. Those ones are too little," she says, waving dismissively at the first pile, "and then these ones have dirt or something mixed in."
Through the hazy heat comes Balinne, walking along as cheerful as always despite the sweat and grime clinging to her forehead. She heads straight for that group of seated weyrlings and, upon getting there, gives P'draig a sunny smile and drops herself onto the ground beside K'mron, tucks her knees up and wraps her arms around them, and listens.
Tosolla, with a glance around, pokes up her hand. The other stays wrapped around her bent knees as if keeping her legs from flying out in all directions. When the Weyrlingmaster joins them she ducks her head and tries very hard to pretend that she hasn't seen the older greenrider, though her hand remains up.
P'draig looks around the group again, waiting on answers. Avey's gets a little nod. "That's right about that last pile, it's the best, but the why is important." Balinne's arrival earns a broad grin that only widens as the Weyrlingmaster joins the group and he sends a wink her way, then re-focuses on the weyrlings, pointing at Solla.
Tosolla waves her hand a little, then a little more, only letting it drop with one of her father's grins when the brownrider calls on her. "Because it's the darkest," she says immediately. "The lighter rock is, um, it's not as good, and can cause problems."
"But isn't the dark part like, dirt or something?" Avey asks. "So you have to, I don't know, clean it. Or something."
Quietly, much like her dragon, Javeri's been listening to what is said without commenting and nearly without moving. Every now and again she does twitch one foot and try to find a more comfortable spot for it.
If Balinne notices Tosolla's avoidance, she doesn't show it. Rather, she's just grinning back at P'draig before glancing curiously around the group of weyrlings. She listens intently when comments are voiced, but remains silent herself. Avey's comment earns an amused grin.
"That's right, it's darkest and also the most even." P'draig leans forward and catches up a couple of pieces of the high quality stone and passes them out on either end of the group. "Pass that along, get a feel for it," he instructs. "Make sure that person who just joined the group gets a good feel too," he says with humor dancing in voice and eyes as he looks Bali's way again. "The dark part isn't dirt, it's the actual mineral that causes the flaming reaction," P'draig explains further and catches up a couple of samples of the lowgrade stone, passes those out too. "Look at the differences between these two types closely. Anyone want to guess what happens if a dragon chews that mixed up stone with the light and dark bits?"
Tosolla wrinkles her nose and leans forward to watch the 'stone being passed, even if it isn't close enough for her to actually see for herself. Yet. "Well... Papa said once that Aath'd, um... well, her flame wouldn't be as, um... oh! As consistent! It'd be all stuttery. Is that right?"
Avey picks up one of the samples and holds it up to the sun, peering at it closely in the light, weighing it in her hand, even holding it out to let Leisath sniff. She probably ought to pass it on, but instead the two of them hog it to themselves, investigating it in every way they can think of.
The 'person who just joined' just rolls her eyes. But Balinne waits dutifully for the stone to be passed to her. The fact that Avey hogs it earns an eyebrow lift and another amused grin, but she's patient enough not to speed the pair along. Instead, she'll accept the second piece, the mixed stone, to glance over briefly before passing along to the nearest Weyrling.
The person next to Javeri has to nudge her to get her to take the stone when it reaches her. She might be a wee bit distracted then, but once she has it her and Chadmalith give it a quick and thorough look see before it gets passed on.
P'draig flips another piece of high quality to the group to pass along. There's plenty of it though he does cast Avey a brief look for the hogging. Balinne's eye roll just earns a sunny grin as Paddy sits back with his weight on his hands again. "Yep. It makes an uneven and weaker flame. THe good stuff makes a steady, strong flame. One of the things we'll be figuring out is how much /your/ dragon needs to make a good flame and also how to control their belches so that it's either in short bursts, long sustained blasts, targeted or wide-range, that kind of thing. Any questions so far?"
Avey catches P'draig's eye and finally passes the stone on. She folds her hands in her laps, the very picture of obedient attentiveness.
Tosolla gives the lower-quality piece a long looking-over once it reaches her, poking a finger into the divots and tinging a fingernail against the stone. "That's -another- thing we have to remember for them?!" she half-laughs, half-complains, grinning at P'draig before she hands the 'stone off. "Wouldn't it be easier if all the colors just learned one way, so all the greens only did short bursts, and all the blues targeted and stuff?"
Balinne is playing the dutiful student, even if more of her attention is now turned towards the class around her, watching their reactions, than to the assistant giving the lesson. But she prove she can multi-task, and that she's been listening to P'draig as well, for she lifts her hand high above her head when the call for questions comes. She'll even wait until she's been called upon (like a good student), before asking, "What do you do when your dragon doesn't want to flame?"
Reaching down into the middle pile, P'draig gets three chunks of medium grade ready to pass around and looks up at the byplay between Avey and Tosolla, brows raised. Neraset's huffing a little, like maybe she wanted to be the show-off instead of Avey and folds her arms across her chest, until one of those pieces of stone comes her way and then she's just eyeing it and wrinkling up her nose. "This stinks /before/ they chew it," she pronounces and hastily passes it on. "Actually, sometimes Weyrleaders or Wingleaders might make a decision like that, 'Solla, depends on the Fall. And that's the kind of stuff a wingleader has to know." He looks up at Balinne, grins again. "Bribe them with the promise of fat wherries. Reassure about it. Emphasize that it's for getting rid of Thread. Make it into a game. All depends on your dragon's personality. Right ma'am?" Teasing again. "And actually maybe you could tell us a little bit about different flaming strategies for a wing." The mid-grade stone is passed out next. "Take a look at this. The drawbacks to it are about the same as with low-grade, but it's purer. Enough that this is is what you'll use to practice with in your first flaming sessions, to avoid accidents and injuries."
Avey looks grumpy as P'draig backs up Tosolla and not her. In fact, she shows every signs of being about to go into a sulk.
Solla gives a look-see to the good stone as well, but it doesn't hold her interest as much as the lower-quality stuff, and she quickly passes it on. "I guess...," she starts to Avey, only to have P'draig correct them both, which sends her eyebrows up in startled surprise. "That's mostly for browns and bronzes though, isn't it? Being a wingleader, and learning all that... stuff?"
"And if bribery doesn't work?" wonders Balinne, a grin and an eyebrow arched towards P'draig. And then Tosolla has Balinne's attention, her other eyebrow joining the first as she turns towards the green weyrling. "Nope," she tells her, going on to say, "In fact, I don't think I've flown under a bronze *or* brown Winglead-" but she stops, flashes a sheepish grin at P'draig, and hushes back into silent student once again. She's just here to watch, honest!
Avey picks up a rock - a normal one, not firestone - and starts grinding it into the sandy floor of the bowl, digging out a little hollow as she listens. She's not going to say anything more, nope, nuh uh. In fact, after this lesson, she's going to go right off and eat worms.
"There has to be a mix of strategies Avey, so /flexibility/ is important," P'draig attempts to draw the other greenriding weyrling back into the flow of things and prevent that sulk without having to resort to putting his foot down. His head is shaking too along with Balinne's. "And no, you should all learn that stuff, because as Balinne was saying, any color can lead a wing." He sits up again, crossing his legs and leans his elbows on his knees. "If bribery doesn't work, pointing out some of the benefits of flaming, or the good sides can possibly help. Unfortunately, because it's Interval, the ... 'flame or die' method won't work." His smile turns wry as he looks Balinne's way again. "So it boils down to knowing your dragon and finding the right pressure point." Beat. "Okay, so any other questions about actual 'stone? We're going to sort the stuff now. It's a race. First group to sort a mixed bunch into the three types, wins a day off drills."
Tosolla says, "Oh," and screws up her face at Avey, then more thoughtfully at the rest of the weyrlings. As her eyes travel over to Balinne they stop, suddenly, like she'd hit a wall, and she hastily looks back to the brownrider at the front of the group, her chin on her knees again. "Tyalith says it looks interesting - why wouldn't a dragon -want- to flame?" Clearly, this is right up there with a dragon dragging its feet about flying.
"Zelieth was always very concerned about the belching," explains Balinne, happily answering Tosolla's question and appearing not to notice the weyrlings discomfort. "It was disgusting and beneath her. And once she also became aware that she smelled afterwards, well... it took a while to win that argument." So much for being quiet. A little shrug of her shoulders and she makes a point of pressing her lips together. This time, she's determined.
Avey perks right up at P'draig's praise, forgetting her sulk immediately, no matter the transparency of his effort. She glances at Balinne, curious, when she speaks of Zelieth's delicacy. "Really? That sounds like something Leisath would do," she puts in.
Javeri is certainly still around she's just not got anything to say. Out loud at least. There might be conversation going on between her and Chadamalith, but if that's the case she's not repeating anything he says out loud. Eventually all the talking will be done, by troublesome greenriders and all, and they can get to work and then get out of here.
T'mic's eldest glances to her dragon and straightens up, wrapping both arms around her legs this time. "Does it matter -how- it's sorted? Or just that it's sorted, sir?" Because -someone- is going to try and use that loophole, you bet.
"So I guess for Zelieth, reassuring about a bath afterwards, and maybe saying something about how it's part of the honor of all dragons to flame might, maybe work," P'draig answers Balinne, grinning again. Neraset is thoughtful and looking up at Vaylith. "I think she'd prefer to be /clean/ too." Not to mention the weyrling herself. He looks around the group. "Okay if there's no other questions, we'll start sorting. You'll need three piles, low-grade, mid-grade and high-grade at the end, with none of the wrong kind mixed it. Okay?"
Avey pipes up again, "You mean three big piles, sir, or like, each of us needs our own pile?"
Tosolla's question is thus answered, and the girl gets to her feet, brushing off her clothes. "In pairs, sir?" she wonders, Neraset already moving toward her. "Or how many of us sorting?"
A flash of a grin at P'draig, but Balinne's going to keep quiet now. As the weyrlings are
instructed to sort stone, she climbs to her feet, dusts herself off, and weaves through the group towards her assistant. When he's got a moment, she tells him, "I eventually convinced her it would impress the rest of her siblings, and earn the attention of a handsome bronze, if she'd just chew and flame." A grin. "Good lesson. I'm going to take a bath."
"Teams of ... shoot, how many are you," Paddy starts counting. "Three. Three teams, three piles per team," he elaborates and gets to his feet, to mix up three batches of different types of stone. When he's done, he falls back, leaning down to hear Balinne, laughs a little. "Nice. I like the handsome bronze bit, especially. Had to know her to figure that out though, right?" he winks at her then, touches her arm lightly. "Thanks. It's always fun playing with pieces of stone. Enjoy that soak," he tells her sincerely, then turns back to see how the weyrlings are getting on. "Ready?"
Avey hops to her feet and trots quickly toward the stone piles. "C'mon, Solla! Let's be on a team," she suggest, beckoning the other girl closer. In a lower tone, she says, "Quick, let's claim a spot for our piles close to these piles.. so we don't have to carry it as far."
"Mhm," is all Balinne says. Another grin, a little nod of her head, and the Weyrlingmaster steps away. She spares another moment glancing back towards the weyrlings. Seeming satisfied, she turns and heads towards the caverns.
Neraset is decidedly -not- happy that Avey has elected herself to their group, but Solla touches the taller girl's arm and whispers something, and the two greenriders head to join Avey anyway. "Good thinking!" Tosolla giggles back, and turns a brightly innocent beam on P'draig. They're all ready, see? Aren't they good weyrlings?
Tosolla whispers something like, "Whoo, we'll be closer to Paddy then, and he'll give us gold stars for you touching Avey and can we suck up /any harder/?!?!"
Three little greenriders all in a row. Awww. The boys snicker and nudge each other and split up into groups leaving two of them to include Javeri and pick piles. Paddy is distracted for a moment, smiling as Balinne goes. Is he watching her just maybe a /little/ longer than he should? A moment later though he's eyeing the positions on the groups and snorting, goes over a little ways in the bowl, draws a line with the heel of his sandal in the dust. "Sorted piles go over here. Organize amongst yourselves how you want to do your sorting strategy. Carry the sorted stone over here." Grin. (Bastard). Then he's standing back, arms folded to watch the weyrlings figure this one out.
"Oh, that's no fair," Avey grumbles to her group as P'draig draws a line. "Now we have to carry it all the way back there." She looks at Tosolla, then at Neraset, and frowns at the rocks, wheels turning in her head as she tries to work out a 'sorting strategy.'
Tosolla gasps a little at the unfairness of it all too, then turns a teasing pout on the brownrider. He is /so/ -mean-. Still... "I think I could sort," she offers, digging a toe into the ground. "I've seen it before. And maybe - Neraset, do you want to carry it, and Avey, you could help me or help her, depending on who's fallen behind?"
The group with Javeri in it has opted for a different strategy: one man per stone type and run when you've got it. The other group is doing the same thing the girls are doing, so it might boil down to who's got the longer legs or is lighter on their feet. Paddy's waiting though and then counting down. "On your marks? Get set! ..... GO!"
"Okay," Avey agrees. "I'll help sort first and then when we've got a good bit going then... oh no, it's starting!" she frets. "We're not ready..." but she rushes to the pile, and reaches for a rock.
GO! Go? Solla jumps and eeks, hands already reaching for the 'stone Avey is bringing. Neraset too is hustling, and she brings a rock in either hand. "Good!" Tosolla deems the first, "Bad!" the second, and overcome with excitement, she claps. "Oh go, go!"
Avey grabs for the same rock as a weyrling from one of the boys' teams, and glowers at him, then picks up another. "This one's... Medium," she decides, dropping it on the ground, and then plucks out three more "Goods" and piles them up nearby.
It's entirely possible that Paddy is enjoying the show way too much, leaning casually against the Bowl wall, watching the weyrlings scramble. But then he's pushing away from shaded stone, coming over to check on things, encourage, provide reminders. It's probably the mid-grade and low-grade that are hardest to sort. The high-grade is pretty obvious against the other two. "C'mon M'ljen, don't second guess yourself," he tells the bronzeling encouragingly. "Javeri, remember what we talked about." And finally: "Neraset, no one is watching your arse. Stop picking at your shorts and /sort/."
Tosolla's left stoneless while the others run; she gnaws on her lower lip and eyes their piles in the free moments she has. "Bad! Goo - no, bad!" Laughing nervously at her almost slip, she brushes hair off her face and looks around at the others' piles. "That's ba-!" she starts, pointing at K'mron's hands, then gulps and turns to receive what Neraset's thrusting at her. "Great! That's great!"
Avey says in an undertone to Solla, when Neraset's over by the other pile, "/Someone's/ probably looking," but then her attention is back on the task, and she's helping to make a goodly little nearby pile, even going so far as to swat the hand of a boy who tries to grab one of their pre-sorted stones. "That's ours!" she snaps at him, and then picks up a double handful to carry over to their line.
Predictably maybe: "Solla, concentrate on /your/ team," from P'draig. "K'mron, remember you're supposed to be doing /low-grade/," he calls over to the guy and shakes his head a couple of times. Back to the girls and an emphastic: "/Neraset/". He doesn't need to say what for this time.
There's a, "Sorry!" from Tosolla, but then the excitement is too much for her, and the plan goes all to pieces when she darts to collect stone on her own instead of waiting for it to be brought. "Oh - oh! Um..." The last two pieces are in her hands; she pelts for the sorting pile and tosses the rocks, one into 'great' and the other into 'good' before she comes to a panting, happy halt. "We're done!"
Avey comes dashing back for more rocks and then... "We are?" she says in surprise, blinking. "Hey! We're done." She beams at Tosolla, and even at Neraset. "Not bad!"
Epic fail on K'mron, Javeri and B'orl's team. The stone is badly sorted and it takes a few minutes and some heated words before they're done. Both others finish ahead of them. M'ljen's group, well, it's going to be a close call between them and the unholy green triad over there. They finished at about the same time, but who sorted the best? "Okay, moment of truth, gals or guys?" P'draig says with a grin as he flips through their piles to check on the stone content.
Tosolla knows! Tosolla knows! She hops a little with springs on her heels, only to settle down under a chiding whuff from Tyaliath. It doesn't stop her grin, though; when Paddy approaches to make the final decision she takes a step back, arms wrapped about her belly as if to hold herself together. Is it...? Did they...?
Flick. The last bit of stone is tossed back into the pile, he's got a piece of mid-grade mixed in with low-grade on M'ljen's side and he looks up at the girls, grinning. "Greenriders take all. Enjoy the day off, ladies. Nice job." He gives them all a moment to be bummed or celebrate, then waves his arms around. "Okay! Clean up! Get all this stuff into the sacks there, load into the barrel and then shoo! Go take a bath! You stink!"
They did! Solla and Neraset let out a cheer and do a little dance, then exchange high-fives with Avey. As they clean up she sidles closer and closer to poor dejected B'orl, and when they're finally finished she slips her arm through his. Leaving the others behind the pair head for the garden pool instead of the bathing rooms, arm in arm and heads bent cozily together.
The sacks are stacked in the barrow and Paddy starts to head off with it, but he catches that direction of Solla and B'orl's and shoots them a faintly amused look. He doesn't say anything though as he trundles the barrow away with Neraset being 'helpful' alongside as the rest of the group heads off to get cleaned up.
When: day 6, month 9, turn 18 of Interval 10. (RL Date: 1/5/09)
Where: Bowl, Ista Weyr
What: Paddy gives a group of weyrlings a little introduction to firestone.
Late afternoon sees the Weyr cooling down a little from the heat of the day and P'draig has set up with a small group of Weyrlings on one end of the Bowl where it's shady. There's little piles of firestone stacked in front of him and he sits on the ground, encouraging the others to do the same. "Okay guys, we're going to learn a little bit about firestone today and play a game that could wind up in a special treat for the winners. Why don't we start by you guys telling me what you know about firestone and how it works for flaming?"
Avey sits down next to Leisath, reaching out to rub the dragon's eyeridge in a distracted fashion. But at P'draig's question, her attention snaps to the lesson and she all but bounces in her eagerness to answer. Her hand shoots up. "I know!" she declares.
And, unusual for her, Javeri is late. Oh, Chadamalith was quite interested and has been sitting there as long as the others, but it's just when Avey's hand goes up that Javeri comes along limping from the infirmary. The limp is not as noticeable as she slows down to a walk from her attempt at running to not be too late. Alas it did not work and she just tries to get over to Chadamalith without disrupting things.
P'draig looks the group over expectantly, grins as other hands than Avey's go up too, but it's hers he picks out of the throng, though he pauses as he catchess sight of Javeri and that limp. A little frown wrinkles his brows, but he gestures to her without comment and nods Avey's way. "Go ahead Avey."
Dragon> To Chadamalith, Jekzith nudges gently blue-green towards the serene blue. << P'draig says that yours should have a seat and not worry, though he'd like to know what happened. >>
"Okay, so for dragons? Firestone is really spicy!" Avey says, her voice animated, hands gesticulating. "Because it's like when you eat spicy food? and you get gas? and then you burp?
And you know how it burns when that happens? Well with dragons it makes ACTUAL FIRE!" She grins.
Javeri settles down by Chadamalith and listens to what Avey as to say. A few looks around at the other weyrlings to determine there reactions is the only response to it however. She seems to be willing to let someone else speak on the subject. Or maybe she just doesn't have anything to say.
Dragon> Chadamalith responds with more swiftness than normal. Accompanying the swiftness is a flurry of rapid images that ends with Javeri having slipped on a half-eaten piece of fruit on their ledge. The part where it was he who left it there was buried pretty deep in everything else. << She is fine. >> (Chadamalith to Jekzith)
This answer from Avey, makes the corners of Paddy's mouth twitch it does. But he tries, oh tries to keep a straight face. "Ah - well it does make gas and they do belch, but not because the stone is spicy," he says with a little smile for Avey. Neraset, for once, isn't snickering though a few guffaws have peppered the little group. "Anyone else?"
Avey looks disappointed; she'd had it all figured out! "It's not?" she says, and frowns. She glances at Leisath, the two engaging in some private communication that has Avey laughing in a moment, though she smothers it so as not to call attention to herself overmuch.
Chadamalith uses a talon to tap against the ground right by where Javeri happens to be and it earns him a scowl. Clearly she is upset about his involvement in her slipping earlier. Still she raises her hand anyway and says, "Chemicals. In their stomachs. The non-eating ones. And it reacts somehow and makes something that when it hits the air makes flame." Well, it's not that surprising she's probably read on it considering her blue's desire to know everything. It must be a good enough answer as the talon tapping stops and Chadamalith resumes his statue-like ways.
Avey mutters very quietly to the weyrling next to her, "I think my version was more interesting.
Dragon> To Chadamalith, Jekzith watches the flurry go by, passes along the salient bits to P'draig. << Thank you! >> he tells the blue chipperly.
"Okay, yes, that's pretty close," P'draig nods Javeri's way. "It's a chemical reaction. And if you want more specifics on that, ask a miner or a smith," he jokes with a grin around the group. "All right then, so do any of you know how a dragon is supposed to actually chew the stuff and use it to make flame?"
Avey rubs at Leisath's eyeridge affectionately. She does not volunteer to answer this question, but instead waits for someone else to speak up. 'With their teeth' probably wouldn't go over well.
Now that she's answered once Javeri is not about to play teacher's pet and answer again. She looks around as some of the other weyrlings mumble to each other, but even though that might have been a flicker of a blue tail near her she resolves to keep her mouth shut. K'mron raises his hand and says, "With their teeth." He follows that with a wink to a girl nearby. Isn't he studly?
Avey puts a hand to her face to hide her amusement. Hey, at least it wasn't her.
Neraset's had enough and rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, even /I/ know this one. Haven't you talked to enough riders?" She makes big eyes at K'mron. "Duh. They chew it and think about their second stomachs," she says proudly and flips her hair back, smiling sunnily at Paddy. THe brownrider clears his throat, perhaps trying not to laugh again. "That's right Neraset. Second stomachs. And after they've flamed they puke up the ash. It's messy and stinks to high heaven, but at least we don't fly Fall anymore so you don't have to deal with it as often as riders in a Pass would." He stretches out his legs and leans back on his hands. "Okay. So next up, let's talk about the actual firestone. I want you all to take a look at these different piles in front of me and tell me what the differences are between them and what you think those differences might mean." One pile has smaller stones and the stuff seems to be uneven in color, another is larger stones and more even, the last, about the same size but the color is completely even.
Avey scoots forward to get a better look, and immediately points to the last pile with the even-colored stones. "That stuff looks best. Those ones are too little," she says, waving dismissively at the first pile, "and then these ones have dirt or something mixed in."
Through the hazy heat comes Balinne, walking along as cheerful as always despite the sweat and grime clinging to her forehead. She heads straight for that group of seated weyrlings and, upon getting there, gives P'draig a sunny smile and drops herself onto the ground beside K'mron, tucks her knees up and wraps her arms around them, and listens.
Tosolla, with a glance around, pokes up her hand. The other stays wrapped around her bent knees as if keeping her legs from flying out in all directions. When the Weyrlingmaster joins them she ducks her head and tries very hard to pretend that she hasn't seen the older greenrider, though her hand remains up.
P'draig looks around the group again, waiting on answers. Avey's gets a little nod. "That's right about that last pile, it's the best, but the why is important." Balinne's arrival earns a broad grin that only widens as the Weyrlingmaster joins the group and he sends a wink her way, then re-focuses on the weyrlings, pointing at Solla.
Tosolla waves her hand a little, then a little more, only letting it drop with one of her father's grins when the brownrider calls on her. "Because it's the darkest," she says immediately. "The lighter rock is, um, it's not as good, and can cause problems."
"But isn't the dark part like, dirt or something?" Avey asks. "So you have to, I don't know, clean it. Or something."
Quietly, much like her dragon, Javeri's been listening to what is said without commenting and nearly without moving. Every now and again she does twitch one foot and try to find a more comfortable spot for it.
If Balinne notices Tosolla's avoidance, she doesn't show it. Rather, she's just grinning back at P'draig before glancing curiously around the group of weyrlings. She listens intently when comments are voiced, but remains silent herself. Avey's comment earns an amused grin.
"That's right, it's darkest and also the most even." P'draig leans forward and catches up a couple of pieces of the high quality stone and passes them out on either end of the group. "Pass that along, get a feel for it," he instructs. "Make sure that person who just joined the group gets a good feel too," he says with humor dancing in voice and eyes as he looks Bali's way again. "The dark part isn't dirt, it's the actual mineral that causes the flaming reaction," P'draig explains further and catches up a couple of samples of the lowgrade stone, passes those out too. "Look at the differences between these two types closely. Anyone want to guess what happens if a dragon chews that mixed up stone with the light and dark bits?"
Tosolla wrinkles her nose and leans forward to watch the 'stone being passed, even if it isn't close enough for her to actually see for herself. Yet. "Well... Papa said once that Aath'd, um... well, her flame wouldn't be as, um... oh! As consistent! It'd be all stuttery. Is that right?"
Avey picks up one of the samples and holds it up to the sun, peering at it closely in the light, weighing it in her hand, even holding it out to let Leisath sniff. She probably ought to pass it on, but instead the two of them hog it to themselves, investigating it in every way they can think of.
The 'person who just joined' just rolls her eyes. But Balinne waits dutifully for the stone to be passed to her. The fact that Avey hogs it earns an eyebrow lift and another amused grin, but she's patient enough not to speed the pair along. Instead, she'll accept the second piece, the mixed stone, to glance over briefly before passing along to the nearest Weyrling.
The person next to Javeri has to nudge her to get her to take the stone when it reaches her. She might be a wee bit distracted then, but once she has it her and Chadmalith give it a quick and thorough look see before it gets passed on.
P'draig flips another piece of high quality to the group to pass along. There's plenty of it though he does cast Avey a brief look for the hogging. Balinne's eye roll just earns a sunny grin as Paddy sits back with his weight on his hands again. "Yep. It makes an uneven and weaker flame. THe good stuff makes a steady, strong flame. One of the things we'll be figuring out is how much /your/ dragon needs to make a good flame and also how to control their belches so that it's either in short bursts, long sustained blasts, targeted or wide-range, that kind of thing. Any questions so far?"
Avey catches P'draig's eye and finally passes the stone on. She folds her hands in her laps, the very picture of obedient attentiveness.
Tosolla gives the lower-quality piece a long looking-over once it reaches her, poking a finger into the divots and tinging a fingernail against the stone. "That's -another- thing we have to remember for them?!" she half-laughs, half-complains, grinning at P'draig before she hands the 'stone off. "Wouldn't it be easier if all the colors just learned one way, so all the greens only did short bursts, and all the blues targeted and stuff?"
Balinne is playing the dutiful student, even if more of her attention is now turned towards the class around her, watching their reactions, than to the assistant giving the lesson. But she prove she can multi-task, and that she's been listening to P'draig as well, for she lifts her hand high above her head when the call for questions comes. She'll even wait until she's been called upon (like a good student), before asking, "What do you do when your dragon doesn't want to flame?"
Reaching down into the middle pile, P'draig gets three chunks of medium grade ready to pass around and looks up at the byplay between Avey and Tosolla, brows raised. Neraset's huffing a little, like maybe she wanted to be the show-off instead of Avey and folds her arms across her chest, until one of those pieces of stone comes her way and then she's just eyeing it and wrinkling up her nose. "This stinks /before/ they chew it," she pronounces and hastily passes it on. "Actually, sometimes Weyrleaders or Wingleaders might make a decision like that, 'Solla, depends on the Fall. And that's the kind of stuff a wingleader has to know." He looks up at Balinne, grins again. "Bribe them with the promise of fat wherries. Reassure about it. Emphasize that it's for getting rid of Thread. Make it into a game. All depends on your dragon's personality. Right ma'am?" Teasing again. "And actually maybe you could tell us a little bit about different flaming strategies for a wing." The mid-grade stone is passed out next. "Take a look at this. The drawbacks to it are about the same as with low-grade, but it's purer. Enough that this is is what you'll use to practice with in your first flaming sessions, to avoid accidents and injuries."
Avey looks grumpy as P'draig backs up Tosolla and not her. In fact, she shows every signs of being about to go into a sulk.
Solla gives a look-see to the good stone as well, but it doesn't hold her interest as much as the lower-quality stuff, and she quickly passes it on. "I guess...," she starts to Avey, only to have P'draig correct them both, which sends her eyebrows up in startled surprise. "That's mostly for browns and bronzes though, isn't it? Being a wingleader, and learning all that... stuff?"
"And if bribery doesn't work?" wonders Balinne, a grin and an eyebrow arched towards P'draig. And then Tosolla has Balinne's attention, her other eyebrow joining the first as she turns towards the green weyrling. "Nope," she tells her, going on to say, "In fact, I don't think I've flown under a bronze *or* brown Winglead-" but she stops, flashes a sheepish grin at P'draig, and hushes back into silent student once again. She's just here to watch, honest!
Avey picks up a rock - a normal one, not firestone - and starts grinding it into the sandy floor of the bowl, digging out a little hollow as she listens. She's not going to say anything more, nope, nuh uh. In fact, after this lesson, she's going to go right off and eat worms.
"There has to be a mix of strategies Avey, so /flexibility/ is important," P'draig attempts to draw the other greenriding weyrling back into the flow of things and prevent that sulk without having to resort to putting his foot down. His head is shaking too along with Balinne's. "And no, you should all learn that stuff, because as Balinne was saying, any color can lead a wing." He sits up again, crossing his legs and leans his elbows on his knees. "If bribery doesn't work, pointing out some of the benefits of flaming, or the good sides can possibly help. Unfortunately, because it's Interval, the ... 'flame or die' method won't work." His smile turns wry as he looks Balinne's way again. "So it boils down to knowing your dragon and finding the right pressure point." Beat. "Okay, so any other questions about actual 'stone? We're going to sort the stuff now. It's a race. First group to sort a mixed bunch into the three types, wins a day off drills."
Tosolla says, "Oh," and screws up her face at Avey, then more thoughtfully at the rest of the weyrlings. As her eyes travel over to Balinne they stop, suddenly, like she'd hit a wall, and she hastily looks back to the brownrider at the front of the group, her chin on her knees again. "Tyalith says it looks interesting - why wouldn't a dragon -want- to flame?" Clearly, this is right up there with a dragon dragging its feet about flying.
"Zelieth was always very concerned about the belching," explains Balinne, happily answering Tosolla's question and appearing not to notice the weyrlings discomfort. "It was disgusting and beneath her. And once she also became aware that she smelled afterwards, well... it took a while to win that argument." So much for being quiet. A little shrug of her shoulders and she makes a point of pressing her lips together. This time, she's determined.
Avey perks right up at P'draig's praise, forgetting her sulk immediately, no matter the transparency of his effort. She glances at Balinne, curious, when she speaks of Zelieth's delicacy. "Really? That sounds like something Leisath would do," she puts in.
Javeri is certainly still around she's just not got anything to say. Out loud at least. There might be conversation going on between her and Chadamalith, but if that's the case she's not repeating anything he says out loud. Eventually all the talking will be done, by troublesome greenriders and all, and they can get to work and then get out of here.
T'mic's eldest glances to her dragon and straightens up, wrapping both arms around her legs this time. "Does it matter -how- it's sorted? Or just that it's sorted, sir?" Because -someone- is going to try and use that loophole, you bet.
"So I guess for Zelieth, reassuring about a bath afterwards, and maybe saying something about how it's part of the honor of all dragons to flame might, maybe work," P'draig answers Balinne, grinning again. Neraset is thoughtful and looking up at Vaylith. "I think she'd prefer to be /clean/ too." Not to mention the weyrling herself. He looks around the group. "Okay if there's no other questions, we'll start sorting. You'll need three piles, low-grade, mid-grade and high-grade at the end, with none of the wrong kind mixed it. Okay?"
Avey pipes up again, "You mean three big piles, sir, or like, each of us needs our own pile?"
Tosolla's question is thus answered, and the girl gets to her feet, brushing off her clothes. "In pairs, sir?" she wonders, Neraset already moving toward her. "Or how many of us sorting?"
A flash of a grin at P'draig, but Balinne's going to keep quiet now. As the weyrlings are
instructed to sort stone, she climbs to her feet, dusts herself off, and weaves through the group towards her assistant. When he's got a moment, she tells him, "I eventually convinced her it would impress the rest of her siblings, and earn the attention of a handsome bronze, if she'd just chew and flame." A grin. "Good lesson. I'm going to take a bath."
"Teams of ... shoot, how many are you," Paddy starts counting. "Three. Three teams, three piles per team," he elaborates and gets to his feet, to mix up three batches of different types of stone. When he's done, he falls back, leaning down to hear Balinne, laughs a little. "Nice. I like the handsome bronze bit, especially. Had to know her to figure that out though, right?" he winks at her then, touches her arm lightly. "Thanks. It's always fun playing with pieces of stone. Enjoy that soak," he tells her sincerely, then turns back to see how the weyrlings are getting on. "Ready?"
Avey hops to her feet and trots quickly toward the stone piles. "C'mon, Solla! Let's be on a team," she suggest, beckoning the other girl closer. In a lower tone, she says, "Quick, let's claim a spot for our piles close to these piles.. so we don't have to carry it as far."
"Mhm," is all Balinne says. Another grin, a little nod of her head, and the Weyrlingmaster steps away. She spares another moment glancing back towards the weyrlings. Seeming satisfied, she turns and heads towards the caverns.
Neraset is decidedly -not- happy that Avey has elected herself to their group, but Solla touches the taller girl's arm and whispers something, and the two greenriders head to join Avey anyway. "Good thinking!" Tosolla giggles back, and turns a brightly innocent beam on P'draig. They're all ready, see? Aren't they good weyrlings?
Tosolla whispers something like, "Whoo, we'll be closer to Paddy then, and he'll give us gold stars for you touching Avey and can we suck up /any harder/?!?!"
Three little greenriders all in a row. Awww. The boys snicker and nudge each other and split up into groups leaving two of them to include Javeri and pick piles. Paddy is distracted for a moment, smiling as Balinne goes. Is he watching her just maybe a /little/ longer than he should? A moment later though he's eyeing the positions on the groups and snorting, goes over a little ways in the bowl, draws a line with the heel of his sandal in the dust. "Sorted piles go over here. Organize amongst yourselves how you want to do your sorting strategy. Carry the sorted stone over here." Grin. (Bastard). Then he's standing back, arms folded to watch the weyrlings figure this one out.
"Oh, that's no fair," Avey grumbles to her group as P'draig draws a line. "Now we have to carry it all the way back there." She looks at Tosolla, then at Neraset, and frowns at the rocks, wheels turning in her head as she tries to work out a 'sorting strategy.'
Tosolla gasps a little at the unfairness of it all too, then turns a teasing pout on the brownrider. He is /so/ -mean-. Still... "I think I could sort," she offers, digging a toe into the ground. "I've seen it before. And maybe - Neraset, do you want to carry it, and Avey, you could help me or help her, depending on who's fallen behind?"
The group with Javeri in it has opted for a different strategy: one man per stone type and run when you've got it. The other group is doing the same thing the girls are doing, so it might boil down to who's got the longer legs or is lighter on their feet. Paddy's waiting though and then counting down. "On your marks? Get set! ..... GO!"
"Okay," Avey agrees. "I'll help sort first and then when we've got a good bit going then... oh no, it's starting!" she frets. "We're not ready..." but she rushes to the pile, and reaches for a rock.
GO! Go? Solla jumps and eeks, hands already reaching for the 'stone Avey is bringing. Neraset too is hustling, and she brings a rock in either hand. "Good!" Tosolla deems the first, "Bad!" the second, and overcome with excitement, she claps. "Oh go, go!"
Avey grabs for the same rock as a weyrling from one of the boys' teams, and glowers at him, then picks up another. "This one's... Medium," she decides, dropping it on the ground, and then plucks out three more "Goods" and piles them up nearby.
It's entirely possible that Paddy is enjoying the show way too much, leaning casually against the Bowl wall, watching the weyrlings scramble. But then he's pushing away from shaded stone, coming over to check on things, encourage, provide reminders. It's probably the mid-grade and low-grade that are hardest to sort. The high-grade is pretty obvious against the other two. "C'mon M'ljen, don't second guess yourself," he tells the bronzeling encouragingly. "Javeri, remember what we talked about." And finally: "Neraset, no one is watching your arse. Stop picking at your shorts and /sort/."
Tosolla's left stoneless while the others run; she gnaws on her lower lip and eyes their piles in the free moments she has. "Bad! Goo - no, bad!" Laughing nervously at her almost slip, she brushes hair off her face and looks around at the others' piles. "That's ba-!" she starts, pointing at K'mron's hands, then gulps and turns to receive what Neraset's thrusting at her. "Great! That's great!"
Avey says in an undertone to Solla, when Neraset's over by the other pile, "/Someone's/ probably looking," but then her attention is back on the task, and she's helping to make a goodly little nearby pile, even going so far as to swat the hand of a boy who tries to grab one of their pre-sorted stones. "That's ours!" she snaps at him, and then picks up a double handful to carry over to their line.
Predictably maybe: "Solla, concentrate on /your/ team," from P'draig. "K'mron, remember you're supposed to be doing /low-grade/," he calls over to the guy and shakes his head a couple of times. Back to the girls and an emphastic: "/Neraset/". He doesn't need to say what for this time.
There's a, "Sorry!" from Tosolla, but then the excitement is too much for her, and the plan goes all to pieces when she darts to collect stone on her own instead of waiting for it to be brought. "Oh - oh! Um..." The last two pieces are in her hands; she pelts for the sorting pile and tosses the rocks, one into 'great' and the other into 'good' before she comes to a panting, happy halt. "We're done!"
Avey comes dashing back for more rocks and then... "We are?" she says in surprise, blinking. "Hey! We're done." She beams at Tosolla, and even at Neraset. "Not bad!"
Epic fail on K'mron, Javeri and B'orl's team. The stone is badly sorted and it takes a few minutes and some heated words before they're done. Both others finish ahead of them. M'ljen's group, well, it's going to be a close call between them and the unholy green triad over there. They finished at about the same time, but who sorted the best? "Okay, moment of truth, gals or guys?" P'draig says with a grin as he flips through their piles to check on the stone content.
Tosolla knows! Tosolla knows! She hops a little with springs on her heels, only to settle down under a chiding whuff from Tyaliath. It doesn't stop her grin, though; when Paddy approaches to make the final decision she takes a step back, arms wrapped about her belly as if to hold herself together. Is it...? Did they...?
Flick. The last bit of stone is tossed back into the pile, he's got a piece of mid-grade mixed in with low-grade on M'ljen's side and he looks up at the girls, grinning. "Greenriders take all. Enjoy the day off, ladies. Nice job." He gives them all a moment to be bummed or celebrate, then waves his arms around. "Okay! Clean up! Get all this stuff into the sacks there, load into the barrel and then shoo! Go take a bath! You stink!"
They did! Solla and Neraset let out a cheer and do a little dance, then exchange high-fives with Avey. As they clean up she sidles closer and closer to poor dejected B'orl, and when they're finally finished she slips her arm through his. Leaving the others behind the pair head for the garden pool instead of the bathing rooms, arm in arm and heads bent cozily together.
The sacks are stacked in the barrow and Paddy starts to head off with it, but he catches that direction of Solla and B'orl's and shoots them a faintly amused look. He doesn't say anything though as he trundles the barrow away with Neraset being 'helpful' alongside as the rest of the group heads off to get cleaned up.