What does that mean?
Who: Essdara and Miniyal
Where: Records Room, HRW
When: 21:13 on day 8, month 1, turn 2 of the 7th Pass
What: Essdara seeks out Miniyal and confuses her.
7/9/2006
It is 21:13 on day 8, month 1, turn 2 of the 7th Pass.
Miniyal is not copying anything or shelving anything or anything. She's just sitting at a table in the corner reading over a few hides. There's a small stack on the table, but not many and she appears to be studying them intently, head bent forward and glow basket pulled close.
Essdara comes into the record room wearing a bright smile, and a spring in her step. She looks around the room, eyes searching with a purpose, and when they find their target she gives an even brighter smile. She skips over to Niya's table, and drops down into a chair. "Whatcha reading, Niya?" She asks, in an entirely too happy voice.
Miniyal's head lifts and she blinks. Someone's here. Someone's sitting down. What is up with this? "Umm. Hello. Records." Yes, see? She's reading records.
Essdara rolls her eyes, and reaches for one of them. "Well, /duh/. What else do you ever do, 'cept read them, stack them, and police them. You don't start spending some time outside this room, people're gonna talk. That weird girl, lives in the records room."
Miniyal rolls her eyes and then eyes the record taken. It's a totally interesting piece on records management from a previous weyrwoman. "And, I don't care if people talk about me. I like what I do. I'm good at it. Besides, I leave here. I do eat."
Essdara snorts, skimming the record and then tossing it down. "That doesn't count. You come in, skulk around the back, get some food, wolf it down, and then flee back here." A sunny smile. "But it was nice to see you at the party, willing or not. You really did look pretty, think that surprised people as much as that I did."
Miniyal takes the record back and sets it down gingerly. "I didn't look pretty. I looked silly in a different way. It's not a huge thing. Anyway, I'm stuck in this position so I have to do that every now and then...what's got you so cheery?"
"Had a good turn, so far." Essdara says, with a grin. "Oh, sure, it started off rough enough; that entire drama at the party was set to cast a pall on it. But I've gotten past that and have found a lot to enjoy, thanks to my friends." She looks over at the records keeper. "Miniyal, what do you enjoy? Other than records and reading? What makes you happy, gets you excited?"
Blinking several times, Miniyal peers at Essdara curiously. Like she's confused. "Why?" she asks. "I mean, what's...why do you want to know?" She's definitely confused, worried? Who knows.
"Call it the curiosity of a friend." Dara emphasises the last word. "I realised, thinking of the gather, that I only see you here, or in the dorms, or rarely in the caverns eating, and I think that's sad. Asking around, people seem amazed that I see you that many places! That's just not right! So answer me, ok?"
Miniyal's lips turn down into a frown and she shakes her head. "I'm happy with things the way they are," she says with a nod. "I like my life. It's quiet and organized and calm and there's nothing crazy going on. I like that. I'm happy as I am. I enjoy what I do. I don't really do excitement."
Essdara rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know the litany. Said it myself, plenty of times. Now's when I am supposed to apologize for disturbing you, and meekly crawl away and leave you to your hiding? Well, my dear, you'll learn quickly that I'm not so easily put off as that!"
"I am /not/ hiding," Miniyal says sharply. Dropping her hands into her lap she clenches them together and takes a deep breath. "I am not hiding. I am doing my work. My work is important. I am not trying to put anyone off. I just like to spend time here because I...like it here. It's quiet."
Essdara says, "I like cooking. I like it to the exclusion of just about anything else... And I still wouldn't spend waking to sleeping, every day, in the kitchens. C'mon, Niya, there must be /something/ you enjoy doing. You like quiet? Fine, lemme get a basket and we can have a picnic. I know somewhere warm and quiet. Get out of here, spend some time with a friend. How bad could it be?"
Miniyal looks around and shrugs. "I like it in here. And, I do like records. And maps. It's what I am good at. So, that's what I do. I just...I don't see any reason to change things. It's orderly. Not like people. People are...confusing. I really do get annoyed by them easily."
Essdara smiles slowly; progress. "People can be very annoying and confusing. But they can also be wonderful and loving and caring. I imagine I can be all three, often to the same person." She shrugs, and watches Miniyal a moment. "You need more than records Niya. You're barely older than me, and the though of you spending as long as we are likely to live in here makes me very sad."
Miniyal blinks and looks down at her records. "Why not? I mean, why cannot I stay in here and do my duty to the weyr and be left alone? It doesn't make a lot of sense." Shaking her head she tells the cook, "You know, if people did what made them happy then we wouldn't have so many upset people."
Essdara says, "There is more to life than duty and being alone." She insists. "In all these records, everything that's in here, you have to have found that out. How many people are in the records, even the most noteworthy, wonderful people, who had no friends, no loves, nothing they liked outside doing their duty? None. It seems nice now, but mark my words, Niya, you will come to a point where you are sad to be alone, and it's too late to not be. And if you won't take it on yourself to realise that, then someone has to.""
"Why? Why does someone else have to do it? Isn't it my right to do as I please? Who says I have to be what someone else says? I have been alone a long time and I am content with it. I do not like being involved with people. I am pleased you are happy and wish to help others, but I do not need the help." Miniyal nods her head once and then sets her record down to glance at the next one on her pile.
Essdara shrugs, and is quiet a long moment; something Niya has said has penetrated whatever is going on in the cook's head. "You do have that right, and I'm sorry." She says, finally. The smile returns, "I'll leave, if that's what you want. But I'm not gonna promise not to come back. One of these days, I will lure you out. Because I am a selfish little twat, and I know it."
Miniyal inclines her head and then gestures to her records. "I have work to do," she says with a brief smile. "Take care of yourself, Essdara. But don't count on luring me out. I like where I am."
Essdara grins brightly, standing. "Then, as I said, I will simply have to come to you. See you at dinner, Miniyal!" She heads for the door, back to hummin and skipping cheerfully as she does so.
Miniyal follows the weird acting Essdara out with her eyes, but finally shakes her head and returns to what she is doing.
Where: Records Room, HRW
When: 21:13 on day 8, month 1, turn 2 of the 7th Pass
What: Essdara seeks out Miniyal and confuses her.
7/9/2006
It is 21:13 on day 8, month 1, turn 2 of the 7th Pass.
Miniyal is not copying anything or shelving anything or anything. She's just sitting at a table in the corner reading over a few hides. There's a small stack on the table, but not many and she appears to be studying them intently, head bent forward and glow basket pulled close.
Essdara comes into the record room wearing a bright smile, and a spring in her step. She looks around the room, eyes searching with a purpose, and when they find their target she gives an even brighter smile. She skips over to Niya's table, and drops down into a chair. "Whatcha reading, Niya?" She asks, in an entirely too happy voice.
Miniyal's head lifts and she blinks. Someone's here. Someone's sitting down. What is up with this? "Umm. Hello. Records." Yes, see? She's reading records.
Essdara rolls her eyes, and reaches for one of them. "Well, /duh/. What else do you ever do, 'cept read them, stack them, and police them. You don't start spending some time outside this room, people're gonna talk. That weird girl, lives in the records room."
Miniyal rolls her eyes and then eyes the record taken. It's a totally interesting piece on records management from a previous weyrwoman. "And, I don't care if people talk about me. I like what I do. I'm good at it. Besides, I leave here. I do eat."
Essdara snorts, skimming the record and then tossing it down. "That doesn't count. You come in, skulk around the back, get some food, wolf it down, and then flee back here." A sunny smile. "But it was nice to see you at the party, willing or not. You really did look pretty, think that surprised people as much as that I did."
Miniyal takes the record back and sets it down gingerly. "I didn't look pretty. I looked silly in a different way. It's not a huge thing. Anyway, I'm stuck in this position so I have to do that every now and then...what's got you so cheery?"
"Had a good turn, so far." Essdara says, with a grin. "Oh, sure, it started off rough enough; that entire drama at the party was set to cast a pall on it. But I've gotten past that and have found a lot to enjoy, thanks to my friends." She looks over at the records keeper. "Miniyal, what do you enjoy? Other than records and reading? What makes you happy, gets you excited?"
Blinking several times, Miniyal peers at Essdara curiously. Like she's confused. "Why?" she asks. "I mean, what's...why do you want to know?" She's definitely confused, worried? Who knows.
"Call it the curiosity of a friend." Dara emphasises the last word. "I realised, thinking of the gather, that I only see you here, or in the dorms, or rarely in the caverns eating, and I think that's sad. Asking around, people seem amazed that I see you that many places! That's just not right! So answer me, ok?"
Miniyal's lips turn down into a frown and she shakes her head. "I'm happy with things the way they are," she says with a nod. "I like my life. It's quiet and organized and calm and there's nothing crazy going on. I like that. I'm happy as I am. I enjoy what I do. I don't really do excitement."
Essdara rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know the litany. Said it myself, plenty of times. Now's when I am supposed to apologize for disturbing you, and meekly crawl away and leave you to your hiding? Well, my dear, you'll learn quickly that I'm not so easily put off as that!"
"I am /not/ hiding," Miniyal says sharply. Dropping her hands into her lap she clenches them together and takes a deep breath. "I am not hiding. I am doing my work. My work is important. I am not trying to put anyone off. I just like to spend time here because I...like it here. It's quiet."
Essdara says, "I like cooking. I like it to the exclusion of just about anything else... And I still wouldn't spend waking to sleeping, every day, in the kitchens. C'mon, Niya, there must be /something/ you enjoy doing. You like quiet? Fine, lemme get a basket and we can have a picnic. I know somewhere warm and quiet. Get out of here, spend some time with a friend. How bad could it be?"
Miniyal looks around and shrugs. "I like it in here. And, I do like records. And maps. It's what I am good at. So, that's what I do. I just...I don't see any reason to change things. It's orderly. Not like people. People are...confusing. I really do get annoyed by them easily."
Essdara smiles slowly; progress. "People can be very annoying and confusing. But they can also be wonderful and loving and caring. I imagine I can be all three, often to the same person." She shrugs, and watches Miniyal a moment. "You need more than records Niya. You're barely older than me, and the though of you spending as long as we are likely to live in here makes me very sad."
Miniyal blinks and looks down at her records. "Why not? I mean, why cannot I stay in here and do my duty to the weyr and be left alone? It doesn't make a lot of sense." Shaking her head she tells the cook, "You know, if people did what made them happy then we wouldn't have so many upset people."
Essdara says, "There is more to life than duty and being alone." She insists. "In all these records, everything that's in here, you have to have found that out. How many people are in the records, even the most noteworthy, wonderful people, who had no friends, no loves, nothing they liked outside doing their duty? None. It seems nice now, but mark my words, Niya, you will come to a point where you are sad to be alone, and it's too late to not be. And if you won't take it on yourself to realise that, then someone has to.""
"Why? Why does someone else have to do it? Isn't it my right to do as I please? Who says I have to be what someone else says? I have been alone a long time and I am content with it. I do not like being involved with people. I am pleased you are happy and wish to help others, but I do not need the help." Miniyal nods her head once and then sets her record down to glance at the next one on her pile.
Essdara shrugs, and is quiet a long moment; something Niya has said has penetrated whatever is going on in the cook's head. "You do have that right, and I'm sorry." She says, finally. The smile returns, "I'll leave, if that's what you want. But I'm not gonna promise not to come back. One of these days, I will lure you out. Because I am a selfish little twat, and I know it."
Miniyal inclines her head and then gestures to her records. "I have work to do," she says with a brief smile. "Take care of yourself, Essdara. But don't count on luring me out. I like where I am."
Essdara grins brightly, standing. "Then, as I said, I will simply have to come to you. See you at dinner, Miniyal!" She heads for the door, back to hummin and skipping cheerfully as she does so.
Miniyal follows the weird acting Essdara out with her eyes, but finally shakes her head and returns to what she is doing.